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Miami International Airport (KMIA) is one of the busiest international gateways in the United States, sitting in unincorporated Miami-Dade County just northwest of downtown Miami. Operated as a major hub for passenger and cargo traffic, it offers a sim pilot a large, complex Class B international airport with four physical runways, full ILS coverage and round-the-clock operations. Its origins trace back to Pan American Airways' pioneering international air services of the late 1920s.
Miami International Airport, ICAO KMIA and IATA code MIA, is the primary international airport serving Miami and its surrounding metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Florida. It sits at a field elevation of 7 feet and is a major hub for both passenger and cargo traffic, with more than 1,000 daily flights connecting to destinations across Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond. For a sim pilot it represents a large, busy Class B international field with a full suite of instrument approaches, making it a demanding but rewarding destination for both airline and general aviation operations.
The airport lies in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida, approximately six miles west-northwest of downtown Miami, adjacent to the cities of Miami and Miami Springs and the village of Virginia Gardens. Nearby communities include Hialeah, Doral and the Fontainebleau area. The field is tagged as Class B airspace, reflecting its status as a major controlled international airport in the South Florida terminal area.
Miami International has four physical runway pairs, all hard-surfaced, lit and equipped with ILS. Runway 09/27 is the longest, with 09 at 11,662 feet and 27 at 12,701 feet. Runway 08R/26L measures 10,507 feet in each direction. Runway 12/30 runs 9,333 feet as 12 and 8,439 feet as 30. Runway 08L/26R is 8,577 feet in both directions.
Radio services include Approach on 120.5 MHz, ATIS on 119.15 MHz, Clearance Delivery, Departure on 119.45 MHz, Ground on 121.8 MHz, Tower on 118.3 MHz, and a UNICOM frequency of 123 MHz. All four runway pairs are equipped with ILS, providing instrument approach guidance to every landing direction.
Pilots orienting toward the airport can use the surrounding communities of Miami Springs, Virginia Gardens, Hialeah, Doral and the Fontainebleau area as landmarks, with the field lying roughly six miles west-northwest of downtown Miami.
The airport's origins lie in June 1928, when Pan American Airways acquired land on NW 36th Street to build a privately operated international airport in Miami. Regularly scheduled air mail service between Miami and Havana began by September 1928, and on 9 January 1929 the field was officially dedicated as Pan American Airport, also known as Pan American Field, at a ceremony attended by celebrities including Amelia Earhart. The airport was also historically known as Wilcox Field. In 1946 Dade County took control of the field and renamed it Miami International Airport; the former Pan Am terminal was modified and formally dedicated in January 1950. A new or rebuilt airport on 20th Street opened on 10 December 1959, with all commercial flights transferring unchanged from the old airport. Through the late 1940s and 1950s the airport grew to become, by the end of that period, the world's largest commercial air terminal.
Miami International operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and remains one of the largest international airports in the world, serving as the leading U.S. gateway for flights to Latin America and the Caribbean and as the country's top international cargo airport.
