Miami International Airport (IATA: MIA, ICAO: KMIA, FAA LID: MIA) is a public airport located eight miles (13 km) northwest of the central business district of Miami, in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States.[1] It is between the cities of Miami, Hialeah, Doral, and Miami Springs, the village of Virginia Gardens, and the unincorporated community of Fountainbleau.

The airport is a hub for passenger airlines American Airlines, American Eagle, Gulfstream International Airlines under the Continental Connection name, and Executive Air under the American Eagle name; cargo airlines Arrow Air, Fine Air, UPS Airlines and FedEx Express; and charter airline Miami Air. Miami International Airport handles flights to cities throughout the Americas and Europe, as well as Israel and cargo flights to Asia, and is South Florida’s main airport for long-haul international flights, although most domestic and low-cost carriers use Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Palm Beach International Airport, which charge significantly lower fees to tenant airlines.

Miami is the premier gateway between the US and Latin America, and, along with Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, Miami is one of the largest aerial gateways into the American South, owing to its proximity to tourist attractions, local economic growth, large local Latin American and European populations, and strategic location to handle connecting traffic between North America, Latin America, and Europe. As of 2008, MIA is the twenty-third largest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic. In the past, it has been a hub for Eastern Air Lines, Air Florida, the original National Airlines, the original Pan Am, United Airlines, and Iberia. As an international gateway to the United States it ranks third, behind New York-JFK in New York City and LAX in Los Angeles. Miami is also the proposed hub of two new start-up airlines, one which hopes to use the Eastern Airlines name.[2]

In 2007, 33,740,416 passengers traveled through the airport.[3]

In the first 10 months of 2007 more international passengers boarded U.S. carriers at Miami International than at any other U.S. airport.[4]

History
The airport was opened to flights in 1928 as Pan American Field, the operating base of Pan American Airways Corporation, on the north side of the modern airport property. After Pan Am acquired the New York, Rio, and Buenos Aires Line, it shifted most of its operations to the Dinner Key seaplane base, leaving Pan Am Field largely unused until Eastern Air Lines began flying there in 1934, followed by National Airlines in 1937.

In 1945, the City of Miami established a Port Authority and raised bond revenue to purchase the airport, which had meanwhile been renamed 36th Street Airport, from Pan Am. It was merged with an adjoining Army airfield in 1949 and expanded further in 1951. The old terminal on 36th Street was closed in 1959 when the modern passenger terminal (since greatly expanded) opened for service.

Air Force Reserve troop carier and rescue squadrons also operated from Miami International from 1949 through 1959, when the last such unit relocated to nearby Homestead Air Force Base, now Homestead Air Reserve Base.

Pan Am and Eastern remained Miami International Airport’s main tenants until 1991, when both carriers went bankrupt. Their hubs at MIA were taken over by United Airlines and American Airlines. United slowly trimmed down its Miami operation through the 1990s, and eventually shut down its crew base and other operations facilities in Miami. At the same time, American expanded its presence at the airport, winning new routes to Latin America and transferring employees and equipment from its failed domestic hubs at Nashville and Raleigh-Durham. Today, Miami is American’s largest air freight hub, and forms the main connecting point in the airline’s north-south oriented international route network.

For many years, the airport was a common connecting point for passengers traveling from Europe to Latin America. However, stricter visa requirements for aliens in transit (a result, in part, of the September 11, 2001 attacks) have lessened MIA’s role as an intercontinental connecting hub. In 2004, Iberia Airlines ended its hub operation in Miami, opting instead to run more direct flights from Spain to Central America. However, Air France still has flights to Port-au-Prince using smaller Airbus A320 and Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft.

Gulfstream International Airlines, Sky King Airlines, American Eagle and American Airlines all operate regular flights between MIA and several airports in Cuba, the one of the few direct airlink between the two nations. However, these flights must be booked through agents with special authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and are only generally available to government officials, journalists, researchers, professionals attend

Facilities and aircrafting conferences, or expatriates visiting Cuban family.
Miami International Airport covers an area of 3,300 acres (1,335 ha) which contains four runways[1]:

* Runway 8L/26R: 8,600 x 150 ft. (2,621 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt
* Runway 8R/26L: 10,506 x 200 ft. (3,202 x 61 m), Surface: Asphalt
* Runway 9/27: 13,000 x 150 ft. (3,962 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt
* Runway 12/30: 9,354 x 150 ft. (2,851 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 384,537 aircraft operations, an average of 1,053 per day: 77% scheduled commercial, 17% air taxi, 6% general aviation and <1% military. There are 345 aircraft based at this airport: 7% single-engine, 35% multi-engine and 58% jet.[1].

Terminal, airlines, and destinations
A satellite image of Miami International Airport superimposed over the old 36th Street airfield
A satellite image of Miami International Airport superimposed over the old 36th Street airfield

The main terminal at MIA is semicircular and has eight pier-shaped concourses, lettered A through J (B was demolished in 2005) in a counter-clockwise direction. Ticketing and departures are located on the upper level and baggage carousels are located on the lower level, the airport contains three customs arrival levels, on the third floor at both Concourse J and the now demolished Concourse B, and at the lower level of Concourse E; the largest of the three. Gates located in Concourses A-F and J, and some gates at Concourse H, can route arriving passengers to the main level (for domestic arrivals) or to the immigration halls (for international arrivals), however, gates at Concourse G and some at Concourse H are designed only for domestic arrivals. Two parking garages, the Dolphin and Flamingo Garages, are located inside the terminal’s curvature, and are connected to the terminal by overhead walkways, it is expected that a third garage will be constructed to serve expansion for Concourse J; there is a heliport located atop a connecting point between the two garages.

At present, the terminal is being dramatically altered. Concourses A, B, C, and D, which primarily house American Airlines and its Oneworld partner’s flights, are being merged into a single linear concourse to be called the “North Terminal”. Portions of the new concourse have already been built as extensions of concourses A and D; to make space for completing the new terminal, the former concourse B has been already been demolished and concourse C will soon follow to accommodate new gates and lounges. [1] Although this construction was originally slated for completion by 2005, it has been delayed several times due to cost overruns: the current deadline for completion is summer of 2011. [2]

The remaining “South” (Concourses H and J) and “Central” (Concourses E, F, and G) Terminals have also been renovated and expanded with Concourse J, the newest addition to the airport, opening on August 29, 2007, (photo) being constructed with the support of fifteen Star Alliance and SkyTeam carriers: it is seven stories tall and has 15 gates, with a total floor area of 1.3 million square feet (120,000m²) including two airline lounges and several offices. Currently, the new concourse is still in opening stages with the movement of most airlines located at Concourse A moving to the new area beginning on September 24, 2007, this was done to allow for renovations to be done at Concourse A, and includes American Airlines taking over gates at Concourse E to replace the gates it will lose at Concourse A. Currently, LAN Airlines, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador, LAN Peru, LACSA, TACA, COPA, US Airways, Avianca, United/Ted, TAM, Aerolíneas Argentinas, airberlin, Caribbean Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss International, Air Canada, and El Al moved into the new concourse concourse. Delta/Comair, Air France, and Alitalia have also begun operating ticket counters at the new Concourse whilst using gate space at Concourse H, soon to be followed by AeroMexico (date unconfirmed). Continental has begun using gates on Concourse H with the ticket counters remaining between G and H concourses. COPA Airlines will also move its gate usage to Concourse H upon the reopening of gate H4, (date unconfirmed). British Airways, previously housed at concourse A, has moved its ticket counters to Concourse G and will use gates at Concourse F for the duration of the A concourse renovations.

After Concourse A is renovated, it is expected that Alaska Airlines, British Airways, LAN Airlines, LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador, and LAN Peru will return to Concourse A, along with American Airlines. Aerolineas Argentinas, Caribbean Airlines, EL AL, and LTU will then return to Concourse E once their gates have been vacated by American Airlines. Fire protection at the airport is provided by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department[5] Station 12.[6]

External links
Miami International Airport (official site) http://www.miami-airport.com/