2000 An L1011 Tri-Star lands at MSO carrying hundreds of firefighters to battle the wildfires burning in the region.

2001 MSO begins preliminary studies for a new parallel runway 29L-11R. The new runway would be south of the existing runway; June 7, United Express begins non-stop daily service to Denver in Canadair CRJ-200 Regional Jets; Airport enplanements at MSO increase an incredible 37% compared to the same time one year earlier; all flights are grounded after the September 11 attacks. Airport re-opens on September 14th; Johnson Flying Service's C-47, N24320, the ship that crashed into the Monongahela River, and flew 12 smokejumpers to Mann Gulch in 1949, is purchased by the Museum of Mountain Flying for $125,000 from McNeely Air in West Memphis, Ark. The C-47, which has been used to fly cargo for the Arkansas firm since 1985, will be the centerpiece of aviation history housed in an 18,500-square-foot museum soon to be built at Missoula International Airport. The cockpit still features a Johnson Flying Service label; October 16, N24320 returns home, 55 years after Bob Johnson purchased the aircraft and flew it to Hale Field; the 2001 Transportation Appropriations bill includes $500,000 to begin the process of replacing the Missoula air traffic control tower, which will be the oldest operating control tower in the state when Billings Logan Airport finishes the construction of its new tower.

2002 June 13 The Museum of Mountain Flying opens it's doors at Missoula International Airport; TSA federal security screeners begin screening passengers in October; the airport completes over $8 million worth of improvements to MSO’s runways, taxiways, and ramp areas; As Northwest airlines continues to phase out it's ageing Boeing 727 fleet, the airline begins service to MSO with the Airbus A319 and A320 series aircraft, Air Wisconsin operates United Express Avro BAE-146 regional jets to MSO; Delta Air Lines begins offering service to MSO in their new Next Generation 737-800 series aircraft. The new jet replaces Delta's 727's and older 737's.

2003 Horizon offers non-stop service to Portland during the summer in the airline's new 70 seat Canadair CRJ-700 regional jet; the airport completes a major reconstruction and expansion phase of the entire air carrier ramp. All old concrete and deteriorating asphalt is replaced with new reinforced concrete measuring several feet in depth; a new connecting taxiway is constructed between taxiway Alpha and the Northstar Air Express ramp; Taxiway Delta is re-aligned, similar to the Foxtrot re-alignment project earlier; US Air Force Thunderbirds perform for the Montana Airfest 2003 air show at MSO, attracting thousands to the airport despite the 103 degree temperatures; The Region One Fire Depot Cache ships over $28 million worth of fire fighting equipment, making this the third busiest fire season on record; Congress authorizes $4 million towards the construction of the new Missoula air traffic control tower; December, a twin engine Baron crashes and explodes in a field near runway 29 just after take-off. Both occupants escape serious injury.

2004 Delta Air Lines turns over all Missoula flights to Skywest Airlines, operating Delta Connection regional jets; Congress authorizes an additional $3 million towards the replacement of the Missoula Air traffic control tower; The Region One Aerial Fire Depot celebrates 50 years since President Dwight D. Eisenhower dedicated the facility in 1954. Besides smokejumpers, the complex is now home to the National Weather Service, Missoula Technology Development Center, Fire Sciences Laboratory, Fire Cache, Northern Rockies Fire Coordination Group and the Northern Rockies Fire Training Center; Taxiway Golf is rehabilitated; entire west general aviation ramp, west ramp taxiway, and the Minuteman Aviation ramp are dug up and replaced with new asphalt; Life Flight begins using Pinnacle night vision goggles; the US Forest Service breaks ground on a new $2 million hanger and administrative office complex. The new facility will allow the USFS to consolidate all their aircraft and personnel to one central location on the west side of the airport; Homestead Helicopters begins construction of a new hanger complex; a Cessna 210 on approach to Runway 29 suffers an engine failure. The aircraft misses one home by a few yards, impacts Flynn Lane and comes to rest in a field; Congress authorizes $6 million for a terminal expansion project and land acquisition.

2005 Big Sky Airlines begins replacing its aging Metro fleet with the 19 passenger Beechcraft 1900D; Allegiant Airlines begins regular service to Las Vegas aboard MD83 aircraft; concerns having been addressed, Neptune Aviation's P2V tankers are returned to service; a Cessna 320 crashes in a field shortly after departing runway 29. Both crew members survive with serious injuries; Cris Jensen of Elko, Nevada is named as the new director of the Missoula International Airport; runway 7-25 and the center portion of Taxiway Alpha are rehabilitated; construction of the new Homestead Helicopter facility is completed and opens for business; the Forest Service moves into their new 40,000 square-foot hanger and adjoining office space; Community Medical Center initiates Missoula’s second medical helicopter service, Care Flight; Pinnacle Airlines, a regional airline based in Memphis, begins Northwest Airlink service from MSO to Minneapolis in the CRJ-200 regional jet; Atlantic Southeast Airlines is purchased by Skywest Airlines and begins additional Delta Connection service from MSO to Salt Lake City aboard the Canadair CRJ-700 regional jet; the Missoula County Airport Authority awards the new terminal expansion project. The $4 million project will add approximately 22,000 square-feet to the west end of the existing terminal, with construction set to begin early in 2006; Missoula air traffic increases 19.5% when compared to the same time one year ago; The Missoula County Airport Authority and EAA Chapter 517 publish the inaugural issue of MSO GA News, a quarterly aviation newsletter featuring articles about the Missoula aviation community and the airport; Flymissoula.com is launched as a general aviation website.

2006 A recent passenger analysis indicates that 92.9% of Missoula travelers originated their air travel from MSO, indicating excellent air carrier service and relatively little leakage to other area airports; The Missoula airport now has a catchment area population of almost 167,000 people; MSO records a 9.0% increase in passenger boarding's for the month of January when compared to the same time one year ago. Of 16 airports reporting, this is the largest increase in the state of Montana for the month of January; terminal expansion project begins March 13; St. Patrick Hospital's Life Flight program celebrates their 25th anniversary; Taxiways Delta and Golf are resurfaced and grooved; April 28, Johnson Flying Service C-47, N24320, is pulled out of the Museum of Mountain Flying on a perfect spring day for a successful engine test following 5 years of restoration work. Allegiant Airlines begins additional MD83 service to Las Vegas; United Airlines adds additional service to Denver, and begins new non-stop service to Chicago O'Hare; Big Sky Airlines announces non-stop weekend service to Portland, Oregon; Missoula International receives funds to expand it's air rescue fire-fighting facilities; Flymissoula.com becomes the official website of the Missoula International Airport; East ramp reconstruction project begins July 13; Big Sky Airlines expands it's weekend Portland service to seven days a week; terminal restroom remodeling begins; Airport begins construction of a second air rescue fire fighting station located near baggage claim; Delta and United jetways replaced with new ones built by FMC Jetways; localizer relocation project begins in September; Rolling Stones arrive at Missoula International Airport for their Oct 4 "Bigger Bang" concert at Washington-Grizzly Stadium; November 11, the GA Steering Committee holds their first ever GA BBQ; December 7, the Airport officially tests its fog dispersion system. A resounding success, the system uses super cooled carbon dioxide gas to freeze fog water droplets, turning it into ice crystals that fall to the ground.

2007 April 13, the new terminal expansion project is officially completed and open for business. The expansion added almost 20,000 square feet for security screening, heated walkways, and an observation lounge. The new addition is the first piece of a larger terminal expansion project coming in the future; Runway 11-29 Reconstruction Project begins August 27; Liquid Planet begins construction of a new location in the upper-level departure concourse; Airport completes massive Runway 11-29 Reconstruction Project; Compass Airlines begins Northwest Airlink service to Missoula using Embraer 175 Regional Jets.

2008 April 7, United Airlines initiates non-stop Boeing 737 service to Denver International Airport; Ted Airlines begins daily seasonal service to Denver; United Express initiates new seasonal service to San Francisco; Airport begins construction of the new aircraft deicing facility next to Taxiway Foxtrot, Runway 7/25 Rehabilitation Project begins; New tee-hangar construction begins adjacent to the approach end of Runway 25; Automated Weather Observation System begins broadcasting on ground control frequency after the tower closes (121.9Mhz); Minuteman Aviation expands Maintenance Facility; Homestead Helicopters adds more office space to their building, Runway 7/25 project begins to remove deteriorating shoulders and install a new runway lighting system;


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Missoula International Airport
5225 Highway 10 West
Missoula, Montana 59808
Website : www.flymissoula.com
Airport Information : 406 728-4381
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