Lakeland Linder International Airport

Lakeland Linder International Airport
Drane Field
Main terminal
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Lakeland
ServesLakeland, Florida
Greater Orlando
Tampa Bay Area
Operating base for
Avelo Airlines
Time zoneEST (UTC−05:00)
 • Summer (DST)EDT (UTC−04:00)
Elevation AMSL142 ft (43 m)
Coordinates27°59′20″N 082°01′07″W / 27.98889°N 82.01861°W / 27.98889; -82.01861
Websitehttp://www.flylakeland.com/
Maps
FAA airport diagram
FAA airport diagram
Interactive map of Lakeland Linder International Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
10/28 8,500 2,591 Asphalt
5/23 5,000 1,524 Asphalt
8/26 2,208 673 Turf
Statistics (2025)
Aircraft operations158,830
Based aircraft (2021)251
Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Lakeland Linder International Airport (IATA: LAL, ICAO: KLAL, FAA LID: LAL) is a public airport five miles southwest of Lakeland, in Polk County, Florida. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021 categorized it as a national reliever facility for Tampa International Airport. The airport has a Class 1 Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 139 operating certificate allowing passenger airline flights.

Annually, around March–April, the airport hosts the Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo, a six-day fly-in, airshow and aviation convention. It is the second largest such event in the United States after the Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) annual "AirVenture" event each summer at Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The airport is home to the southeast regional air cargo hub for Amazon Air, which started operations at the airport in July 2020.

History

By the 1950s, Lakeland Municipal Airport (renamed Al Lodwick Field in 1948) was dwindling due to the closure of Lodwick Aircraft, the airport's primary tenant. With the closure of Lodwick Aircraft, the city decided to phase out Lodwick Field as a municipal airport in the summer of 1957 and concentrate its resources on Drane Field in south Lakeland. Drane Field had deteriorated and languished underutilized for many years following the departure of the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1945. After several years of new construction and conversion to a civil airport, it was rededicated as Lakeland Municipal Airport in 1960 with Don Emerson as its first director.

In the 1970s the facility was renamed Lakeland Regional Airport; in the late 1980s it was again renamed as Lakeland Linder Regional Airport for local businessman Paul Scott Linder. Linder had founded Lakeland-based Linder Industrial Machinery, a multimillion-dollar heavy construction machinery company, in 1953. The Chairman of the Lakeland Economic Development Council, Linder was also director of the Florida Council of 100, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Council of Economic Education. He was named Florida's Free Enterpriser of the Year in 1988, received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Florida, and was named 1989 Florida Entrepreneur of the Year. Paul Scott Linder died on November 11, 1990.

In November 2017 Lakeland Linder International Airport opened their first U.S. Customs and Border Protection General Aviation Facility allowing international aircraft with 20 passengers or fewer to land at the field with an approved overflight permit.

In 2021 the airport had 128,576 aircraft operations, averaging 352 per day: 92% general aviation, 2% military, 1% air taxi, and 6% airline. In December 2021, 251 aircraft were based at the airport: 154 single-engine, 31 multi-engine, 60 jet, 3 helicopter, and 3 glider.

Commercial air service

Draken Ramp at LAL

Allegheny Commuter arrived in Lakeland on February 22, 1979. This was after the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. Chautauqua Airlines of Jamestown, NY provided the service under the Allegheny Commuter affiliation with USAir. The service provided 5 roundtrips a day to Orlando (MCO), using 15-passenger Beech 99s. Due to low demand, the flights ended September 15, 1980.[full citation needed]

Delta Connection, operated by Comair on behalf of Delta Air Lines, briefly provided commuter flights to Orlando from December 15, 1987, through early 1988 using Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante's.[full citation needed]

On July 23, 2020, Amazon Air commenced operations following the opening of a brand new 285,000 square foot cargo processing facility.

Inaugural Avelo Airlines flight receiving a water cannon salute

On December 18, 2023, the airport announced that Avelo Airlines will commence commercial flights from Lakeland Linder beginning in Spring, 2024. On March 27, 2024, Avelo announced twice-weekly service to Tweed New Haven Airport, starting on June 13, 2024. This is the first commercial passenger service to the airport since Direct Air ended operations in 2012. On July 24, 2024, Avelo announced flights to 7 additional destinations from Lakeland, as well as plans to make the airport an operating base.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Avelo Airlines Aguadilla (begins November 18, 2026), Atlanta, Grand Rapids,[citation needed] Nashville, New Haven, Rochester (NY), San Juan, Wilmington (DE)
Seasonal: Charlotte/Concord, Detroit

Cargo

AirlinesDestinationsReferences
Amazon Air Allentown, Austin, Chicago–O'Hare, Hartford, Houston–Intercontinental, Kansas City, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New Orleans, New York–JFK, Ontario (CA), Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Sacramento, San Francisco, Spokane, Toledo (OH)

Statistics

Top domestic destinations

Busiest domestic routes from LAL (August 2025 – July 2026)
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 New Haven, Connecticut 23,780 Avelo
2 San Juan, Puerto Rico 21,260 Avelo
3 Rochester, New York 15,470 Avelo
4 Wilmington, Delaware 15,010 Avelo
5 Nashville, Tennessee 14,150 Avelo
6 Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina 12,420 Avelo
7 Grand Rapids, Michigan 8,730 Avelo
8 Atlanta, Georgia 6,160 Avelo
9 Detroit, Michigan 2,730 Avelo
10 Long Island/Islip, New York 1,460 Avelo

Federal government, corporate and business aviation

In addition, a defense contractor, Draken International, is headquartered at the airport. Draken provides training support to the US Military with their fleet of privately owned tactical aircraft, which includes Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, General Dynamics F-16, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, Aermacchi MB-339, Aero L-39 Albatros, and Dassault Mirage F1, the Atlas Cheetah, and the Aero L-159 Alca aircraft.

Facilities

NOAA 42 and NOAA 49 inside NOAA's AOC at LAL

The airport encompasses 1,772 acres (717 hectares) at an elevation of 142 feet (43 m). It has two asphalt runways: 10/28 is 8,500 by 150 feet (2,591 by 46 m) and 5/23 is 5,000 by 150 feet (1,524 by 46 m).

Emergency services are provided by the Lakeland Fire Department, which maintains a 24-hour staffed station on the airfield with a specialized crash truck and crew providing aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) capability. The airport maintains ARFF Index B and is capable of meeting Index C with prior notice.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Avelo Airlines announces 7 new routes out of Lakeland, including San Juan, this fall". The Ledger. July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "FAA Airport Form 5010 for LAL" (PDF). FAA. . Federal Aviation Administration. effective October 5, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Airport Operations". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  4. ↑ Guinn, Christopher. "Now it's an international airport: US Customs clears 1st Lakeland Linder border crossing". www.theledger.com. The Ledger. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  5. ↑ "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 21, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Library | City of Lakeland". Lakelandgov.net. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Services - Office of Cultural & Historical Programs". Archived from the original on August 11, 2006. Retrieved August 11, 2006.
  8. ↑ "Lakeland Linder Airport, Florida - 1881 | U.S. Customs and Border Protection". www.cbp.gov. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  9. ↑ USAir timetable February 22, 1979; sunshineskies.com
  10. ↑ Delta Air Lines timetables
  11. ↑ Walsh, Sara-Megan (July 23, 2020). "Amazon Air arrives at Lakeland Linder International Airport with 1st cargo flight". The Ledger. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Avelo will expand operations in Aguadilla with flights from Florida and Connecticut". WJournalPR. June 24, 2026. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Avelo announces nonstop flights from Lakeland to Atlanta and spring service to Detroit". The Ledger. November 12, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Avelo Airlines announced new flights from Lakeland to Nashville". ABC Action News Tampa Bay. November 7, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  15. ↑ Walsh, Sara-Megan (March 27, 2024). "Avelo Airlines will begin direct flights from Lakeland Linder to Connecticut in June". Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Avelo Airlines extends flight schedule at local airport, revives route". Charlotte Business Journal. July 9, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.(subscription required)
  17. ↑ Schwieterman, Joseph P.; Jahn, Toni (March 21, 2024). Rudolph, Steve (ed.). "Amazon Air March 2024 Final" (PDF). DePaul University. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  18. ↑ "OST_R | BTS | Transtats". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 12, 2026.
  19. ↑ Draken International, Florida Trend magazine, July 2013