Rochester International Airport

Airport Code RST

Rochester Airport


Airport Overview

Rochester International Airport sits at a vast 2,400 acre property, located 11 km from the central business district of Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. Though it is a non-hub primary airport, Rochester International Airport receives more than 320,000 passengers per year making it the second busiest airport in Minnesota.

A number of airlines provide commercial air service in this airport such as American Airlines, Delta Air Line, and Allegiant Air. It also houses a huge FedEx depot, a general aviation terminal and a minor ABX air station.

This airport was built in 1928 by the Mayo Foundation for the basic purpose of transporting their patients from outlying locations to the Mayo Clinic for treatment and was originally called the “Rochester Municipal Airport”.

In the next decade, the airport will undergo a lot of improvements such as the pavement of the existing runways, and a significant expansion through the acquisition of neighboring lands. Customs and immigration facilities were created to serve the travel demands of the period.

By 1960, Rochester International Airport began its operations in its current location about 13 kilometers from downtown Rochester. The original location was deemed too small already and also very close to the city of Rochester. In 1961, the original airport was finally closed.