The history of MIA began in 1928 when a local cow pasture just north of the Kissimmee Highway was used for air mail service. During World War II, the City of Melbourne acquired 160 acres north of Indian Bluff, and this was developed into a Naval Air Station. After the war, the airport was given to the city and was operated as a municipal airport from 1947 to 1967. After 1967, the Melbourne Airport Authority was created to plan, operate, maintain and develop the airport, resulting in the modern international airport that is operating today.
The airport has eight gates and seven jetways on which Delta schedules daily flights to over 500 destinations in 94 countries. Other airlines that schedule daily flights to Melbourne are US Airways, Direct Air and Baer Air. Since MIA is an international airport, a U.S. Customs and INS office is located at the airport. A parking lot is available for both short-term and long-term parking.
Airport amenities include a restaurant, a snack bar, a gift shop, a game room and a staffed visitor information desk. On-site car rental agencies include Avis/Budget, Alamo/National and Hertz. Wireless Internet is available throughout the airport for passenger convenience. In addition, passengers that are flying into MIA can keep track of their flight information in real time by logging onto the MIA website.
