OU’s Max Westheimer Airport and Will Rogers International Airport prepare to accommodate an influx of flights ahead of OU’s football game against Michigan Saturday.
Lance Lamkin, airport director at Max Westheimer, said he expects an influx of operations for the weekend, especially considering the arrival of ESPN’s “College GameDay” to campus. The exact number of private flights to the airport will not be available until Saturday, Lamkin said.
Multiple airlines have also added service to Will Rogers International Airport ahead of this weekend.
Alex Koehlke, spokesperson for Delta Air Lines, wrote in an email to OU Daily Wednesday that the airline added a one-time nonstop flight Friday from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Will Rogers International Airport.
“The added flight from GRR-OKC is to give Michigan fans in West Michigan the chance to cheer on the team at this weekend’s upcoming game, and additional options for customers closer to Detroit,” Koehlke wrote.
The airline also increased services from Detroit to Oklahoma City, adding three total flights arriving Thursday and Friday. Each flight will depart Oklahoma City Sunday evening.
Southwest Airlines added a one-time nonstop flight Friday from Detroit to Oklahoma City, according to Chris Perry, a spokesperson for the airline. Perry also said there will be a direct flight returning to Detroit from Oklahoma City on Sunday.
Will Rogers International Airport increases temporary flights for away games
Both Southwest and Delta have scheduled temporary routes to help OU fans travel to major away games this season.
Perry said Southwest added a nonstop flight from Atlanta to Oklahoma City for the home game against Auburn University on Sept. 20, where former OU quarterback Jackson Arnold will return to Norman for the first time since transferring to Auburn in December.
For OU’s away game against the University of Alabama, Perry said the airline added a nonstop flight between Birmingham, Alabama, and Will Rogers International Airport.
Koehlke said Delta is offering additional nonstop flight options ahead of significant SEC matchups to four cities: Columbia, Missouri; Knoxville, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“We’re excited to offer our customers more travel options, including well-timed flights to allow fans to come in for the weekend, cheer on their team, and head back home before the week starts,” Koehlke wrote.
Max Westheimer Airport to undergo SEC upgrades
In 2024, Max Westheimer Airport secured $36.5 million as part of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations package for infrastructure improvements and runway expansion.
The airport’s acquisition of federal funding coincided with OU’s move to the SEC conference, with the funds obtained just two months prior. Given the move to a larger conference, air traffic at the airport is set to increase over the next several years.
Lamkin previously told the Daily the southbound runway — the airport’s largest landing strip — will be repaved and extended from about 5,200 feet to 6,800 feet long. Once renovations start, Lamkin said the southbound runway will close for a year, which will prevent private jets from flying to and from the airport.
In March, OU and the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics completed the addition of a new hangar and broke ground on an air traffic control tower. The airport now has 69 hangar tenants and has plans to construct over 30 additional hangars.
According to Hollye Hunt, OU vice president of executive affairs and chief of staff, the projected 108-foot air traffic control tower, built adjacent to the current 42-foot tower, will cost an estimated $15.8 million and is expected to be completed in 2027.
This story was edited by Natalie Armour, Ana Barboza and Thomas Pablo. Sophie Hemker and Gretchen Schultz copy edited this story.
