History

The beginning of St. Louis Downtown Airport’s intricate history consists of name changes, assistance from pioneering airmen of the region, and implementing the structural roots of what is now a leading airfield.

With help from aviation pioneers including Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, and a young pilot named Oliver Parks, St. Louis Downtown Airport gains national prominence as a centrally located air field and center for aviation education.

The airport continues its way through a revolving door of names while the Parks College of Aviation grows, bringing added popularity to the already burgeoning airport.

Financial strain causes the airport to close, though an eventual demand for increased regional air service offers a new opportunity for the downtown airport.

A new era arrives as Bi-State Development acquires the dormant airport, reopening it as the Bi-State Parks Airport in 1965 as runway expansions begin.

The St. Louis Downtown Airport name is officially adopted in 1984 to better emphasize the airport’s quick and easy accessibility to downtown St. Louis—a quality that is unmatched by any other airport in the St. Louis region.

A new century brings new opportunities to KCPS in the form of expanded and renovated runways and taxiways, more jobs, and increased professional quality service.

The St. Louis Downtown Airport continues to meet the new millennium with positive change as its administrative and maintenance offices and runways all experience significant expansion.

The growth of KCPS continues with the addition of a state-of-the-art air traffic control tower, an increase in airport jobs, and continuously growing numbers of tenants and onsite businesses.

KCPS is again recognized for its superior services as its runways continue to expand, a state-of-the-art airport fire station is built, and plans for marketing the airport’s expansive real estate opportunities pave the way for a bright future.