Jacksonville International Airport

About Jacksonville International Airport

Jacksonville International Airport (IATA: JAX, ICAO: KJAX, FAA LID: JAX) is a joint civil-military public airport located nine miles (14 km) north of the central business district of Jacksonville, a city in Duval County, Florida, United States. It is a main hub for Day Jet.

Construction of the airport started in 1965, in order for the city to accommodate a more cosmopolitan populace which was introduced with the sizable naval bases in the region. Jacksonville International was finally opened on October 31, 1968, replacing the antiquated Imeson Field. A new idea tried in the construction of Jacksonville International was the separating of departing and arriving passengers on two different sides of the terminal (as can be seen in the photo on this page). This is no longer the case though and the airport (which has been greatly expanded since the picture was taken) now utilizes the typical configuration whereby departing passengers are served on an upper level, accessed via an elevated roadway, while arriving passengers utilize the lower level of the terminal.

Concurrent with the closure of Imeson Airport, the Florida Air National Guard (FANG) also relocated to Jacksonville International Airport. Military Construction (MILCON) funds provided for the establishment of Jacksonville Air National Guard Base in the southwest quadrant of the facility and USAF-style emergency arresting gear on the runways. The Air National Guard also provides a fully equipped USAF Crash Fire Rescue station to augment the airport's own fire department. The base employs aproximately 300 full-time and 1000 part-time military personnel.