From War Memorial to Regional Gateway: The History of McGhee Tyson Airport 

Written by: Emily Huffstetler 

One of the fastest-growing airports in the nation is named for a man who died before commercial air travel reached East Tennessee. 

Charles McGhee Tyson was a Knoxville-raised World War I naval aviator who died in service in 1918. His name became part of East Tennessee’s aviation history because his parents, Brig. Gen. Lawrence Davis Tyson and Bettie McGhee Tyson, wanted a public memorial to him.¹

Nearly a century later, the airport that bears his name sits in Alcoa. It moves millions of passengers, supports military operations and serves as the home of Cirrus Aircraft’s Vision Center, where pilots and aircraft owners come for training, delivery and support.³ 

The story begins in Knoxville. 

After World War I, local flying activity centered around Aviation Field, later called Bearden Field, in West Knoxville. By the late 1920s, aircraft were improving, passenger demand was growing and Knoxville needed a municipal airport with room to expand.⁴

Knoxville’s original municipal airport opened in West Knoxville in 1927 and was named for Lt. Charles McGhee Tyson. 

His parents donated land to the City of Knoxville for an airfield with the stipulation that the facility bear the name of Lt. Charles McGhee Tyson. The original airport was located on Sutherland Avenue in Knoxville, near the current site of West High School.¹

Within a few years, that location was landlocked. In 1935, Knoxville purchased 351 acres at the airport’s current site in Blount County to build a facility that could accommodate air carrier traffic.⁴ 

The move reopened the naming discussion. Newspapers and boosters considered names such as Knoxville Airport, Knox-Blount Airport, Knoxville-Alcoa-Maryville Airport and Great Smoky Mountains Airport. The national park had recently been established in 1934.⁵

In early 1937, Knoxville city manager George Dempster said the city was bound by the original Tyson Park deed. Rather than risk losing the property, he maintained that the airport should keep its memorial name, even as it moved into Blount County.⁵ 

The new McGhee Tyson Airport opened in October 1937.²

The airport expanded in its first decades, with a new control tower, longer runways and additional facilities. By the postwar years, scheduled airline service connected the region to larger cities, and public figures traveling to Knoxville, Oak Ridge, the University of Tennessee and the Smokies often came through Blount County.⁴ 

In the 1950s, Bob Hope visited Blount County through McGhee Tyson. At the time, Hope was one of the country’s most recognizable entertainers, known for film, radio, television and his USO tours.⁶ 

Other public figures, including many politicians, have visited over the years. In 2015, Air Force One landed at McGhee Tyson carrying President Barack Obama and Tennessee legislators Lamar Alexander, Bob Corker and John Duncan. Air Force Two, carrying Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden, followed.⁷ 

McGhee Tyson has also played a significant military role. 

During World War II, the Army purchased the airport and added military facilities, including a 4,500-foot runway. After the war, the Army sold the airport back to the city, but the military presence continued.¹

The location was particularly important during the Cold War because of Alcoa’s aluminum facilities, Oak Ridge’s nuclear operations and TVA dams. The first operational Air Force units were deployed to McGhee Tyson Municipal Airport on April 1, 1950, and officials announced a new $5.5 million Air Force base the following year.¹

McGhee Tyson Air Force Base officially opened on Aug. 9, 1952. As the active-duty Air Force presence wound down in 1957 and 1958, the National Guard Bureau established the 134th Fighter Interceptor Group, which inherited the facilities, aircraft and mission.¹

That mission changed over time, from fighter aircraft to aerial refueling. KC-97 aircraft arrived in the 1960s, followed by KC-135 Stratotankers beginning in 1976.¹

Civilian growth continued alongside the military mission. A new passenger terminal opened in 1974, a cargo complex followed in 1992 and a major terminal improvement project in 2000 added a new 12-gate concourse.⁴ 

In 2015, Cirrus Aircraft announced plans for a new Vision Center at McGhee Tyson Airport in Blount County. The project represented a $15 million investment and was expected to create 170 jobs in the Knoxville area.³

The Vision Center brought pilot training, aircraft delivery, maintenance and owner support to Blount County. It also connected the airport to the Vision SF50, Cirrus’ single-engine personal jet.³

Today, McGhee Tyson is in a period of rapid growth. 

The airport welcomed 3.3 million passengers in 2024, a 17.8% increase over 2023. In 2025, it broke the record again with 3,630,410 passengers, 36 nonstop destinations and 11 new routes launched or announced.^{8, 9} 

McGhee Tyson’s Flight Plan program includes parking, roadway, gate, concourse, security checkpoint, ticket counter and concessions improvements. The first major project, a $186 million parking garage, is expected to add 3,500 parking spaces by 2027.¹⁰ 

Southwest Airlines’ arrival in 2026 marked another major milestone. The airline announced service beginning March 5, 2026, with five daily round trips, including twice-daily service between Knoxville and Nashville and daily round trips to Baltimore, Dallas and Orlando.¹¹ 

Born and raised in Maryville, Tennessee, with roots tracing back to Cades Cove, Emily Huffstetler is a proud Maryville College graduate and storyteller of the Greater Smokies region. She holds a Master of Science in Conservation Education from Mississippi State University.  

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