<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-center">History of Midland International Air and Space Port</h2>
<p class="blog-para">The airport started as Sloan Field, a small airport started in 1927 by Samuel Addison Sloan. Sloan leased 220 acres of flat grassland from Clarence Scharbauer, a rancher. Sam Sloan died in a plane crash in 1929, and his brother, William Harvey Sloan, continued the operation. In 1939, Harvey Sloan sold the field to the City of Midland for $14,500. A new gate area was built along the apron with four second-level gates with jet bridges, concession space, and escalator wells linking the addition to the existing terminal.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The south end of the main terminal was extended with more ticketing space, and the original terminal was modernized (the scalloped roofline was removed).By the 1990s, several new-entrant carriers had pulled out, and most of the rest had downgraded to regional jets; only Southwest, the airport's largest carrier, operated main-line jets. The terminal building looked tired, and airport officials began planning a replacement. Construction began in the infield parking lot in 1996. The first half of the new terminal opened in early 1999, and the 1966 terminal was demolished. The second half of the new terminal was finished in late 1999. The first airplane built and flown in Texas, the "Pliska" (an approximate copy of the Wright Flyer II), was donated to the airport and is displayed in the terminal over the baggage-claim area.</p>
<p class="blog-para">The Confederate Air Force (now the Commemorative Air Force) moved to Midland in 1991 and holds an annual airshow featuring its warbird aircraft at the airport. In 2012, the Midland City Council amended a contract allowing three teams of experts&mdash;Midwest International Airport, Parkhill, and Smith &amp; Cooper&mdash;to prepare and submit a commercial space launch site application. On September 17, 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration formally approved the application, making Midland International Airport the first primary commercial service airport to be certified as a spaceport. The original primary purpose of the launch site was to permit XCOR Aerospace to test its reusable winged commercial space vehicle, the XCOR Lynx. The company relocated its headquarters to the Midland International Airport, where it had planned to offer commercial space flights. The XCOR research and development facility was planned to be located at the airport as part of a $10 million economic development incentive deal. However, as XCOR has since gone out of business, Midland Development Corp. is looking for other space companies to use the facilities.</p>
<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-left">Transportation of Midland International Air and Space Port</h2>
<p class="blog-para">All commercial ground transportation operators are required to utilise the ground transportation area on the north end of the terminal near the baggage claim area. Lane assignment for commercial operators is based on their permit on file with the City of Midland, if applicable. Operators must hold a current airport-issued permit or be logged in and available for booking through their respective mobile applications. The Terminal Front Curb is reserved for non-commercial operations only.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Car rental agencies</strong></p>
<ul>
<li class="blog-li">Car rental agencies are located within the airport terminal on the first level, across from the baggage claim area.</li>
<li class="blog-li">Avis: 432-563-4700</li>
<li class="blog-li">Budget: 432-563-1640</li>
<li class="blog-li">Dollar: 432-561-5995</li>
<li class="blog-li">Enterprise: 432-561-5172</li>
<li class="blog-li">Hertz: 432-563-0110</li>
<li class="blog-li">National: 432-563-0378</li>
<li class="blog-li">Taxis, TNCs, Shuttles, Limos, and Buses</li>
</ul>
<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100" title="Midland Airport" src="../../main/img/airport/midl/1.webp" alt="Midland Airport" width="950px" height="500px"></p>