Ford Airport (Dearborn)


Ford Airport in Dearborn, Michigan, United States was one of the first modern airports in the world. It operated from 1924 to 1947, and the site is now part of Ford Motor Company's Dearborn Proving Ground. The airport was about 360 acres in size.
This airport saw many world and U.S. "firsts": the first U.S. airport hotel, the first concrete runways, first U.S. scheduled passenger service, first contracted airmail service, first radio control for a commercial flight, first U.S. passenger terminal. The buildings were designed by architect Albert Kahn and are considered to have greatly influenced the design of airports throughout the U.S. The original aircraft facilities were in use as part of the Ford testing facilities at the proving ground, however the original passenger terminal was demolished in 1961, and the remaining hangar, used as an experimental engine test facility since the late 1940s was demolished in 2018. Only The Dearborn Inn, a hotel that was built across the road to serve the airport, remains.

Historical timeline