Eppley Airfield

Eppley Airfield
The OMA logo, styled after the Dance of the Cranes statue situated on the airport grounds
Eppley Airfield in December 2006
Summary
Owner/OperatorOmaha Airport Authority
ServesEastern Nebraska
and Western Iowa
Location4501 Abbott Drive
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Elevation AMSL984 ft (300 m)
Coordinates41°18′00″N 95°53′42″W / 41.30°N 95.895°W / 41.30; -95.895
Websiteflyoma.com
Maps
FAA airport diagram
FAA airport diagram
Interactive map of Eppley Airfield
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
14R/32L 9,502 2,896 Asphalt/concrete
14L/32R 8,501 2,591 Concrete
18/36 8,154 2,485 Asphalt/concrete
Statistics (2025)
Aircraft movements107,914
Passengers5,225,232
Air cargo (lbs)143,478,681
Sources: FAA and airport website

Eppley Airfield (IATA: OMA, ICAO: KOMA, FAA LID: OMA), also known as Omaha Airport, is an airport in the midwestern United States, located three miles (5 km) northeast of downtown Omaha, Nebraska. On the west bank of the Missouri River in Douglas County, it is the busiest airport in Nebraska, with more arrivals and departures than all other airports in the state combined. It is classified as a medium hub airport by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It is owned and operated by the Omaha Airport Authority (OAA).

Location

The airport is northeast of Downtown Omaha in East Omaha. Although the airport is in Nebraska on the west side of the Missouri River, it is surrounded on the east, west, north, and south by Iowa: the Missouri River formed an oxbow west of the land that became Eppley Airfield, later cutting off the oxbow during an 1877 flood and creating Carter Lake on a portion of its former course. In 1893, the Supreme Court ruled that though the lake and the surrounding land cut off by the Missouri River's changed route now lay west of the river, they remained part of Iowa. This land eventually became the city of Carter Lake, Iowa. Due to this quirk, people traveling to the airport from areas other than North Omaha pass through Carter Lake. This can confuse people from outside the area when they see "Welcome to Iowa" signs on the way to the airport.

History

Eppley Airfield began as an extension of Levi Carter Park in 1925. That year, the City of Omaha acquired 200 acres (0.8 km2) of cleared land on the east side of Carter Lake. Almost immediately, planes started landing and taking off there. A lawsuit was filed against the city in 1927 when a group wanted to build a hangar there. The lawsuit failed, and the land was called both the Omaha Municipal Airport and the American Legion Airport.

The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 42 scheduled airline departures per day, with 23 by United Airlines and 19 by Braniff International Airways. In 1960, the airport was named for Eugene C. Eppley, founder of the Eppley Hotel chain, whose estate gave the city a $1 million grant, matched by the federal government, to ready the then-Omaha Municipal Airport for jet aircraft. The first jets to land in Omaha were United Boeing 720s in August 1960.

The original terminal building opened in 1961 was designed by James C. Buckley, Inc. Concourse B opened in 1970, and was remodeled when Concourse A opened in 1986.

In 2024, Eppley Airfield set an all-time record with 5,277,326 passengers served.

Omaha Airport Authority

Created in 1959, the Omaha Airport Authority is governed by a five-member, appointed board and is responsible for sole jurisdiction and operation of Eppley Airfield.

Hubs and operations

Midwest Airlines, then known as Midwest Express Airlines, operated a hub at Eppley Airfield from 1995 to 2002 with flights to Milwaukee, Newark, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Diego, and Washington, D.C.; the airport remained a focus city with nonstop flights to Milwaukee and Washington, D.C. until the airline merged with Frontier Airlines in 2009.

Over the course of 2024, Southwest Airlines, American, and Delta were the largest carriers and served 37.1, 20.6, and 17.5 percent of passengers, respectively.

The airport has an on-site U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility for international, charter, and private flights. Eppley's first commercial, international flight began May 1, 2018, when Air Canada Express launched a daily flight to Toronto Pearson International Airport; this service ended on October 4, 2019.

Facilities

Eppley Airfield covers 2,650 acres (4.1 mi2; 10.7 km2) at an elevation of 984 feet (300 m) above sea level. The airfield has three runways: 14R/32L, 14L/32R, and 18/36.

Terminals

The South Terminal, including Concourse A, includes gates A1 through A10, baggage claims 1 and 2, and serves Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Frontier Airlines. Gate assignments: Alaska Airlines (A9), American (A6-A8, A10), Delta (A2-A5), and Frontier (A1).

The North Terminal, including Concourse B, includes gates B11 through B19, baggage claims 5 and 6, and serves Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. Gate assignments: Southwest (B16-B19), and United (B11-B15). Gate B20 has been removed due to construction related to the airport's BuildOMA Terminal Modernization Project.

Ground transportation

The airport is near four major highways: Interstate 80, Interstate 480, Interstate 680, and Interstate 29.

The airport has a consolidated rental car facility connected to the North Terminal.

Metro Transit Line 106 provides limited weekday-only rush-hour service southbound toward downtown and northbound toward the North Omaha Transit Center. Express Arrow intercity buses to Norfolk stop at the terminal. Passenger access is located directly outside the terminal.

Flight training

Eppley Airfield is home to the Nebraska Flight Center which was founded in 2003. The flight school operated at the North Omaha and Blair airports until the Nebraska Flight Center began operations at Eppley Airfield in 2014. Currently, the flight school is based at the Signature Flight Support building on the general aviation side of the airfield and has a partnership program with Iowa Western Community College.

Expansion

In January 2016, Eppley Airfield completed expansion of its CBP screening area to provide greater customs and inspection services for international passengers. Eppley Airfield is classified as a "Customs Landing Rights Airport" for international flights by CBP. Despite currently not having any international passenger flights scheduled, the airport handles international cargo, charter, and private flights.

Extensive upgrades are planned for Eppley Airfield to modernize the terminal, add gates and facilities, and improve the passenger experience. In January 2024, the Omaha Airport Authority announced plans for a $950 million expansion project, details of which included some upgrades which had been previously announced and on which construction is ongoing or soon to begin. New passenger drop-off lanes, a protective canopy over the passenger pick-up and drop-off area, and improved ADA-compliant accessibility modifications to this area were completed in August 2025; passenger pick-up and drop-off and lanes for buses, shuttles, and taxis will remain temporarily shifted to a portion of the first floor of the South parking garage to enable continuing construction on the new terminal entrance and central hall.

The southern Concourse A and northern Concourse B will be joined by a large 646,000-square-foot central hall with a consolidated passenger security screening area, nearly doubling the existing area of 375,000 square feet and eliminating the need for passengers to exit the secured area and be re-screened to move between concourses. The gates will be rearranged and two new gates added, for a total of twenty-two gates and the possibility of future expansion to the northwest. The baggage handling system will be modernized, space for boarding areas at each gate as well as the baggage claim area will be increased, and new retail options and concessions will be added both before and after security. Two gates will be initially devoted to international flights in a new CBP international arrivals hall.

By January 2026, the project had reached the halfway point, with the passenger pick-up and drop-off area and new central utility plant completed, and remodeling of the central hall, security checkpoints, baggage handling system, and existing concourse buildings continuing. Work expected in 2027 is the construction of a third skyway from the parking garage to the central part of the unified concourse, remodeling of the two existing skyways, and complete demolition and rebuilding of the former Concourse B building, allowing for the addition of more gates as capacity demands.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Alaska Airlines Seattle/Tacoma
Allegiant Air Fort Lauderdale, Gulf Shores, Las Vegas, Orlando/Sanford, Phoenix/Mesa
Seasonal: Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Punta Gorda (FL), Sarasota, St. Petersburg/Clearwater
American Airlines Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix–Sky Harbor
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare, Miami
American Eagle Chicago–O'Hare, Los Angeles, Phoenix–Sky Harbor
Seasonal: Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, Philadelphia
Delta Air Lines Atlanta
Delta Connection Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–LaGuardia, Salt Lake City, Washington–National
Frontier Airlines Atlanta, Denver
Seasonal: Orlando, Phoenix–Sky Harbor
Southwest Airlines Chicago–Midway, Dallas–Love, Denver, Houston–Hobby, Las Vegas, Nashville, New York–LaGuardia, Orlando, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, San Diego, St. Louis, Washington–National
Seasonal: Austin, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers (begins March 13, 2027), Miami, Tampa
United Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, San Francisco
United Express Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark
Passenger destinations map

Cargo

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Ameriflight Broken Bow, Grand Island, Hastings, Norfolk, O'Neill
DHL Aviation Cincinnati, St. Louis

Statistics

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from OMA (January 2025 – December 2025)
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Colorado Denver, Colorado 375,090 Frontier, Southwest, United
2 Illinois Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare) 241,920 American, United
3 Arizona Phoenix, Arizona 213,540 American, Southwest
4 Georgia (U.S. state) Atlanta, Georgia 188,760 Delta
5 Texas Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 184,090 American
6 Illinois Chicago, Illinois (Midway) 151,950 Southwest
7 Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada 132,270 Allegiant, Southwest
8 North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina 117,080 American
9 Missouri St. Louis, Missouri 101,960 Southwest
10 Minnesota Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota 94,280 Delta

Airline market share

Largest airlines at OMA
(June 2024 – May 2025)
Carrier Passengers (arriving and departing)
Southwest
1,881,000(37.11%)
American
764,000(15.08%)
United
742,000(14.64%)
SkyWest
562,000(11.09%)
Delta
393,000(7.76%)
Other Airlines
726,000(14.32%)

Annual traffic

PassengersYear2,000,0002,500,0003,000,0003,500,0004,000,0004,500,0005,000,0005,500,0001995200020052010201520202025PassengersAnnual passenger traffic
Annual passenger traffic (enplaned and deplaned) at OMA, 2000–2025
2000s 2010s 2020s
Year Passengers Change Year Passengers Change Year Passengers Change
20003,814,440 Increase1.08% 20104,287,428 Increase1.65% 20202,140,016 Decrease57.4%
20013,653,521 Decrease4.21% 20114,212,399 Decrease1.75% 20213,749,337 Increase75.2%
20023,608,231 Decrease1.23% 20124,127,344 Decrease2.02% 20224,506,713 Increase20.2%
20033,667,190 Increase1.63% 20134,042,333 Decrease2.06% 20235,026,639 Increase11.5%
20043,868,217 Increase5.48%20144,119,730 Increase1.91% 20245,277,326 Increase5.0%
20054,193,046 Increase8.40%20154,169,467 Increase1.21% 20255,225,232 Decrease1.0%
20064,229,856 Increase0.88%20164,349,486 Increase4.32%
20074,421,274 Increase4.53%20174,611,906 Increase6.03%
2008 4,370,137 Decrease1.16%20185,043,194 Increase9.35%
2009 4,217,718 Decrease3.49%20195,023,668 Decrease0.39%

Accidents and incidents

See also

References

  1. ↑ "FAA Airport Form 5010 for OMA" (PDF). FAA. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Eppley Airfield, official website
  3. ↑ "Eppley Airfield 2025 Statistics" (PDF). flyoma.com. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  4. ↑ Nebraska v. Iowa, 406 U.S. 117 (1972).
  5. ↑ "A History of Omaha's Eppley Airfield", Adam Fletcher Sasse, NorthOmahaHistory.com. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  6. ↑ Leslie R Valentine, "The Development of the Omaha Municipal Airfield, 1924–1930," Nebraska History 61 (1980): 400–420.
  7. ↑ Eppley Grant of $1 Million Gives Omaha Jet Field - Lincoln Evening Journal, December 31, 1959
  8. ↑ "Municipal airport new name 'Eppley Airfield'," Omaha World-Herald, January 13, 1960
  9. ↑ American Aviation. Vol. 24. 1960.
  10. ↑ Mezzy, Dick (July 5, 1970). "Eppley Elevated Terminal Ready". Lincoln Star. p. 16. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Airport Authority of the City of Omaha, Airport Facilities Revenue Bonds" (PDF). www.fpr.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Eppley Airfield Sets All-Time Passenger Record In 2024". visitomaha.com. January 24, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  13. 1 2 "Airport Facts/Stats".
  14. ↑ "Frontier Airlines and Midwest to fly under one name - Apr. 13, 2010". money.cnn.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  15. ↑ "OMA airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. FAA data effective January 22, 2026.
  16. ↑ Holley, Victoria (May 6, 2026). "Airline moving terminals at Eppley Airfield". KETV. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Bus Route 16 - Omaha Metro". Archived from the original on January 13, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Routes and Schedules". Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  19. ↑ "About Nebraska Flight Center". Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  20. ↑ "KMTV Iowa Western partners with flight school to meet growing demand for pilots". June 4, 2025. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  21. ↑ Johnson, Ron (August 5, 2025). "Omaha Airport Authority gives update on renovation projects at Eppley Airfield". WOWT-TV. Omaha, NE. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Latest Eppley Airfield $950 million expansion plan leaves room to grow". WOWT. Omaha, Nebraska. January 17, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Eppley's $40-Million Baggage Handling System". Grow Omaha. March 23, 2026. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  24. ↑ Ang, Isaiah (February 19, 2026). "Eppley's Billion-Dollar Terminal Expansion Passes Halfway Point". Grow Omaha. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Eppley Airfield terminal expansion project nears new milestone as travel season ramps up". KETV. Omaha, Nebraska. May 6, 2026. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Flight Timetable". Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Allegiant Air adds 8 new Florida routes starting fall 2026". WINK News. May 19, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Allegiant Adds Four New Cities". airlinegeeks.com. November 18, 2025. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  29. ↑ "Allegiant Airlines Interactive Route Map". Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  30. 1 2 "Non-Stop Destinations".
  31. ↑ "Flight schedules and notifications". Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  32. ↑ @OMAairport (February 13, 2020). "Can we celebrate #ValentinesDay a bit..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  33. ↑ "Summer 2025: American Airlines Expands in Europe". Airways Magazine. September 5, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  34. ↑ "American Airlines Uses Partnerships to Grow Its Network, Offer Customers More Choice, and Provide a Premier Travel Experience in the Northeast". news.aa.com.
  35. 1 2 "FLIGHT SCHEDULES". Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  36. ↑ "Delta to launch Los Angeles-Omaha service in November 2019". news.delta.com. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  37. ↑ Vasile, Zach (July 22, 2025). "Frontier Announces 15 New Routes". Airline Geeks. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  38. ↑ "Frontier Adds 23 New Routes". airlinegeeks.com. December 4, 2025. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  39. 1 2 "Southwest Airlines adds flights to New York City and Miami from Omaha's Eppley Airfield". Omaha World-Herald. August 14, 2025. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  40. ↑ Anderson, Jake (March 28, 2025). "Eppley Airfield adding new nonstop flight to warm weather destination". KETV. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  41. ↑ "Southwest Airlines Check Flight Schedules". Southwest. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  42. ↑ "Southwest Airlines Extends Flight Schedule Through March 6, 2024, and Adds New Seasonal Service". swamedia.com. June 29, 2023. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  43. ↑ "Omaha's Eppley Airfield adds new nonstop flight just in time for spring break". KETV. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  44. ↑ "Southwest Airlines - Route Map". Southwest.com. June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  45. 1 2 Rains, Taylor (February 28, 2022). "United is cutting 17 routes and leaving one US city entirely — see the full list". Business Insider. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  46. 1 2 Beach, Brian (May 1, 2023). "New options at Lincoln Airport could boost Nebraska economy". Nebraska News Service. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  47. 1 2 Balter, Emma (January 14, 2026). "All the Nonstop Flights from Houston Airports". Houstonia Magazine. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  48. ↑ Glab, Jim (January 13, 2024). "One-way flights to East Coast as low as $59 coming to Calif. airport". SFGATE. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  49. ↑ "Timetable". Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  50. ↑ Beals, Jeff (July 16, 2026). "United Airlines Starting Nonstop Flights Between Omaha & Newark Liberty". Grow Omaha. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  51. ↑ "Timetable". Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  52. ↑ "Fleets & Bases: USA/Canada/Mexico | Ameriflight Destination Services".
  53. ↑ "DHL express in the U.S." (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 24, 2021.
  54. 1 2 "RITA BTS Transtats - OMA". www.transtats.bts.gov. March 18, 2026.
  55. ↑ "Omaha Airport Authority -". Omaha Airport Authority.
  56. ↑ "Accident description for TP-0203". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  57. ↑ McLoon, Alex (April 28, 2024). "Eppley Airfield continues cleanup, open for business ahead of Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Meeting". KETV. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  58. ↑ Funk, Josh; Hollingsworth, Heather; Beck, Margery A. (April 26, 2024). "Midwest tornadoes flatten homes in Nebraska suburbs and leave trails of damage in Iowa". AP News. Retrieved May 18, 2024.