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McGhee Tyson Airport · History

Who was McGhee Tyson?

Knoxville's airport is named for a Navy flier lost in 1918, stands in a town named for an aluminum company from Pittsburgh, and nearly ended up called "Smoky Mountains Airport." Here is the story, every step sourced.

Explore the timelineWhy Alcoa?

Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Short answer

McGhee Tyson Airport is named for Lt. Charles McGhee Tyson, a Knoxville Navy flier lost over the North Sea in October 1918. His parents gave Knoxville land for Tyson Park on the condition that the city's airport always carry his name. The airport moved from Bearden to Blount County and opened in October 1937. It sits in Alcoa, a city chartered in 1919 and named for the Aluminum Company of America, which began in Pittsburgh.

Verified Oct 19, 2026

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Then and now

The story in numbers

1918the year Lt. McGhee Tyson was lost over the North Sea.
351acres Knoxville bought in Blount County for the new field.
1937the year the airport opened in Alcoa.
3.63Mpassengers in 2025, an all-time record.

Interactive

From North Maryville to 3.6 million.

Follow one thread at a time: the town, the name, the airport or the records. Every entry links to its source.

From North Maryville to 3.6 millionFilter by thread

  1. A Pittsburgh aluminum companyThe town

    The Pittsburgh Reduction Company is organized. In 1907 it becomes the Aluminum Company of America, and it starts using the acronym ALCOA in the early 1900s.

    Source: Tennessee Encyclopedia: Alcoa, Inc. (Aluminum Company of America)

  2. ALCOA buys land in North MaryvilleThe town

    The company makes several land purchases in an area of Blount County then called North Maryville, drawn by hydroelectric power from the Little Tennessee River and its tributaries.

    Source: City of Alcoa: City History

  3. The smelting plant risesThe town

    ALCOA begins construction on its South (Reduction) Plant. Work on the town site starts in 1917.

    Source: City of Alcoa: City History

  4. A Knoxville golfer joins the Navy's fliersThe name

    Charles McGhee Tyson, a 1912 Princeton graduate and local golf champion, joins the Navy's flying corps. He marries Betty Carson in June 1918 and sails for England that August.

    Source: Visit Knoxville: McGhee Tyson, how Knoxville's airport got its name, by Jack Neely (Aug 18, 2026)

  5. Lost over the North SeaThe name

    Lt. Tyson goes missing on a seaplane flight over the North Sea, one of three lost in the crash. His body is found on the shore days after the Armistice, and he is buried at Knoxville's Old Gray Cemetery.

    Source: Visit Knoxville: McGhee Tyson, how Knoxville's airport got its name, by Jack Neely (Aug 18, 2026)

  6. The City of Alcoa is charteredThe town

    A private act of the Tennessee General Assembly charters the city. To the dismay of Maryville, the new city takes the company's name rather than North Maryville. It is the state's second city to adopt a city manager government.

    Source: City of Alcoa: City History

  7. A park, with conditionsThe name

    His parents, Brig. Gen. and later U.S. Senator Lawrence D. Tyson and Bettie McGhee Tyson, offer about 39 acres on Third Creek as a memorial park. The city at first declines.

    Source: Visit Knoxville: McGhee Tyson, how Knoxville's airport got its name, by Jack Neely (Aug 18, 2026)

  8. The airport takes his nameThe name

    After the senator dies in 1929, the city accepts the land as Tyson Park. The gift requires that the city's municipal airport always bear their son's name, and by 1930 the city airfield is McGhee Tyson Airport.

    Source: Visit Knoxville: McGhee Tyson, how Knoxville's airport got its name, by Jack Neely (Aug 18, 2026)

  9. The first McGhee Tyson, in BeardenThe airport

    The original airport is a small field off Sutherland Avenue, on the site where West High School and the National Guard Armory now stand.

    Source: Knox TN Today: Knoxville's airport history began in Bearden (Sep 28, 2021)

  10. Moving to Blount CountyThe airport

    The Bearden strip cannot keep up with air travel, and the city buys 351 acres in Blount County. Knoxville works with Maryville and Alcoa, and ALCOA helps fund an airport in the county.

    Source: Knox TN Today: Knoxville's airport history began in Bearden (Sep 28, 2021)

  11. The name fightThe name

    Some Blount County leaders and Gov. Gordon Browning prefer "Smoky Mountains Airport." Knoxville City Manager George Dempster insists on McGhee Tyson, citing the park gift, and the City Council agrees.

    Source: Visit Knoxville: McGhee Tyson, how Knoxville's airport got its name, by Jack Neely (Aug 18, 2026)

  12. First flight at the new fieldThe airport

    The first flight touches down at the new McGhee Tyson Airport, and the old Bearden field closes for good.

    Source: Knox TN Today: Knoxville's airport history began in Bearden (Sep 28, 2021)

  13. Opening dayThe airport

    The official opening and dedication, with an airshow of parachutists and veteran pilots. Tyson's sister, Isabella Gilpin, attends.

    Source: Visit Knoxville: McGhee Tyson, how Knoxville's airport got its name, by Jack Neely (Aug 18, 2026)

  14. The Air National Guard arrivesThe airport

    The Tennessee Air National Guard unit that became the 134th Air Refueling Wing marked its 60th anniversary at McGhee Tyson in 2017. It flies KC-135 tankers from the field today.

    Source: 134th Air Refueling Wing: 2017 marks 60th anniversary for 134 ARW

  15. Allegiant begins at TYSThe airport

    Allegiant starts flying from McGhee Tyson. On June 20, 2018 it announces a two-aircraft base here, opening that October.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Allegiant plans aircraft base in Tennessee (Jun 20, 2018)

  16. A record 1,988,019 passengersRecords

    TYS beats its previous annual record, set in 2005, by 142,528 passengers.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Record-breaking year in 2017 (Jan 31, 2018)

  17. 2,572,775 passengersRecords

    The busiest year in the airport's history at the time, up 15.8%. A fourth security lane opens.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: 2019 marks busiest year (Feb 5, 2020)

  18. A rebuilt 10,000-foot runwayThe airport

    Runway 5L-23R reopens after a project of about $134 million, the largest construction project in the airport's history, making TYS a two-runway airport again.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Runway 5L-23R is officially open (Dec 21, 2021)

  19. Fastest-growing in AmericaRecords

    A record 3,256,953 passengers, up 17.8%. Per U.S. DOT data cited by the airport, TYS is the fastest-growing of the top 100 U.S. airports by percentage.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: TYS fastest-growing airport in the U.S. (Apr 10, 2025)

  20. Flight Plan beginsThe airport

    Ground breaks on a $186 million garage, the first project of a decade-long expansion.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Introducing Flight Plan (Nov 7, 2024)

  21. 3,630,410 passengersRecords

    An all-time record, 36 nonstop destinations, and the busiest month ever in October 2025 with more than 358,000 passengers.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Reflecting on a record year for air service (Mar 9, 2026)

  22. The busiest day in TYS historyRecords

    The airport forecasts about 10,000 passengers for the Sunday after Tennessee hosts Texas.

    Source: McGhee Tyson Airport: Record-breaking traffic expected Sept 24-27, 2026 (Sep 22, 2026)

Showing all 22 milestones.

Charles McGhee Tyson

The man behind the name

Knoxville historian Jack Neely, writing for Visit Knoxville, makes the point plainly: the airport is named for one man, who never saw a passenger airport in his short life.

  • Princeton, 1912. Back home, a golf champion at Cherokee Country Club, who in 1916 lost a match to 14-year-old Bobby Jones.
  • Navy flier, 1917. He joined the Navy's flying corps in July 1917 and sailed for England in August 1918.
  • Lost, October 1918. Missing on a seaplane flight over the North Sea, then presumed dead. His body washed ashore days after the Armistice.
  • Remembered. His parents raised a 36-foot marble monument at Old Gray Cemetery in 1920, and gave the land for Tyson Park, still a favorite near the UT campus.

The Tyson family

His father, Lawrence Davis Tyson, was a textile industrialist and lawyer who commanded troops in France in 1917, was elected to the U.S. Senate and died suddenly in 1929. His mother, Bettie McGhee Tyson, led Knoxville's "City Beautiful" movement and died in May 1933.

Alcoa

Why the airport is in Alcoa

Power drew the company

ALCOA bought land in North Maryville in 1910 for the hydroelectric power of the Little Tennessee River, and began its smelting plant in 1913.

The company named the town

The City of Alcoa was chartered July 1, 1919 and took the company's name. Its most prominent street, Hall Road, is named for Charles M. Hall, inventor of the electrolytic process for making aluminum.

The company helped build the airport

The Tennessee Encyclopedia notes ALCOA provided funds to develop an airport in Blount County and later sold Knoxville more land for airport expansions.

Downtown Pittsburgh lit up at blue hour from Mount Washington, with Point State Park, the rivers and the Fort Pitt Bridge below

The Pittsburgh connection

A Knoxville airport in a town named for a Pittsburgh company.

ALCOA began in 1888 as the Pittsburgh Reduction Company. There is still no scheduled nonstop between the two cities.

The PIT ⇄ TYS campaign

Photo: Michael Righi, CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

More airport guides

Questions

Why is Knoxville's airport called McGhee Tyson?
It honors Lt. Charles McGhee Tyson, a Knoxville native and Navy flier lost over the North Sea in October 1918. His parents gave the city land for Tyson Park on the condition that the municipal airport always bear his name.
Why is the Knoxville airport in Alcoa?
The original McGhee Tyson field in Bearden was too small by the mid-1930s, so Knoxville bought 351 acres in Blount County, working with Maryville and Alcoa. The airport's address today is 2055 Alcoa Highway, Alcoa.
When did McGhee Tyson Airport open?
The first flight landed at the Blount County site on July 29, 1937, and the official opening and dedication followed on Oct 15, 1937. The airport says it officially opened in October 1937.
Is Alcoa, Tennessee named after the aluminum company?
Yes. The City of Alcoa, chartered July 1, 1919, took the name of the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) instead of North Maryville. The company began in 1888 as the Pittsburgh Reduction Company.
Who runs McGhee Tyson Airport?
The Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, which owns and operates both McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) and Downtown Island Airport (DKX).
Where was the original Knoxville airport?
The first McGhee Tyson Airport was a small field off Sutherland Avenue in Bearden, where West High School and the National Guard Armory now stand.
What was McGhee Tyson Airport almost called?
Some Blount County leaders and Gov. Gordon Browning preferred "Smoky Mountains Airport." Knoxville City Manager George Dempster held to the McGhee Tyson name because of the park gift.

Sources

  1. McGhee Tyson Airport: Our Airport (page updated Aug 5, 2026)
  2. Visit Knoxville: McGhee Tyson, how Knoxville's airport got its name, by Jack Neely (Aug 18, 2026)
  3. Knox TN Today: Knoxville's airport history began in Bearden (Sep 28, 2021)
  4. City of Alcoa: City History
  5. City of Alcoa: The Company Town
  6. Tennessee Encyclopedia: Alcoa, Inc. (Aluminum Company of America)
  7. 134th Air Refueling Wing: 2017 marks 60th anniversary for 134 ARW
  8. Wikipedia: 134th Air Refueling Wing (unit history and aircraft)
  9. McGhee Tyson Airport: Allegiant plans aircraft base in Tennessee (Jun 20, 2018)
  10. McGhee Tyson Airport: Record-breaking year in 2017 (Jan 31, 2018)
  11. McGhee Tyson Airport: 2019 marks busiest year (Feb 5, 2020)
  12. McGhee Tyson Airport: Runway 5L-23R is officially open (Dec 21, 2021)
  13. McGhee Tyson Airport: TYS fastest-growing airport in the U.S. (Apr 10, 2025)
  14. McGhee Tyson Airport: TYS serves 3.3M passengers in 2024 (Jan 27, 2025)
  15. McGhee Tyson Airport: Introducing Flight Plan (Nov 7, 2024)
  16. McGhee Tyson Airport: Reflecting on a record year for air service (Mar 9, 2026)
  17. McGhee Tyson Airport: Record-breaking traffic expected Sept 24-27, 2026 (Sep 22, 2026)
  18. Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority home page