Meridian Regional Airport

Meridian Regional Airport Key Field
USGS 1996 orthophoto
IATA: MEI ICAO: KMEI FAA LID: MEI
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Meridian Airport Authority
Serves	Meridian, Mississippi
Elevation AMSL	297 ft / 91 m
Coordinates	32°19′57″N 088°45′07″W / 32.33250°N 88.75194°W / 32.33250; -88.75194Coordinates: 32°19′57″N 088°45′07″W / 32.33250°N 88.75194°W / 32.33250; -88.75194
Website	MeridianAirport.com
Map
MEI Show map of Mississippi MEI Show map of the US Location of airport in Mississippi / United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 1/19 10,003 3,049 Asphalt/Concrete 4/22 4,599 1,402 Asphalt
Statistics (2012)
Aircraft operations 85,250 Based aircraft 75
Sources: Airport and FAA

Terminal Building, Old, Hangar and Powerhouse at Key Field
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The old terminal building
Location	2525 US 11 S, Meridian, Mississippi
Coordinates	32°20′14″N 88°44′33″W / 32.33722°N 88.74250°W / 32.33722; -88.74250
Area	1.6 acres (0.65 ha)
Built	1930
NRHP Reference #	03000587
Added to NRHP	July 7, 2003

Meridian Regional Airport (IATA: MEI, ICAO: KMEI, FAA LID: MEI) is a public use airport located at Key Field, a joint use public/military airfield. It is located 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) southwest of Meridian, a city in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. The airport is owned by the Meridian Airport Authority. At 10,003 feet (3,049 m), Key Field is home to the longest public use runway in Mississippi. It is mostly used for general aviation and military traffic, but is also served by one commercial airline with scheduled passenger service subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.

As per the Federal Aviation Administration, this airport had 19,599 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008, 18,560 in 2009, and 16,871 in 2010. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service facility.

Meridian Regional Airport was established in 1928 and opened in November 1930 with the completion of the terminal, hangar, powerhouse and a graded and packed dirt runway. Meridian city officials asked Al and Fred Key, who operated the Key Brothers' Flying School at Bonita, to co-manage the new facility. The brothers maintained their flying school at the new field as well as their other duties, such as selling commercial airline tickets, operating the terminal and hangar, and handling airmail delivery schedules.