Clinton National Airport facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clinton National Airport Adams Field
IATA: LIT ICAO: KLIT FAA LID: LIT
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Little Rock
Operator	Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission
Serves	Little Rock
Opened	June 19, 1931; 94 years ago (1931-06-19)
Elevation AMSL	266 ft / 81 m
Coordinates	34°43′48″N 92°13′12″W / 34.73000°N 92.22000°W / 34.73000; -92.22000
Map
FAA airport diagram
Runway
Runway Length Surface ft m 04L/22R 8,273 2,522 Concrete 04R/22L 8,251 2,515 Concrete 18/36 6,224 1,897 Concrete
[[Helipad|]]
Number Length Surface ft m H1 50 15 Concrete
Statistics (2023)
Total passengers 2,237,309 Aircraft operations (through year ending 2/28/2023) 83,217
Sources: Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport

Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (IATA: LIT, ICAO: KLIT, FAA LID: LIT), also known as Adams Field, is a busy airport located in Little Rock, Arkansas, in the United States. It's managed by the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission.

This airport is the biggest commercial airport in Arkansas. It serves over 2.2 million passengers each year! While it doesn't have direct international flights, more than 50 flights take off or land here every day. You can fly nonstop to 14 different cities from this airport. The airport is an important part of the national airport system, helping people travel across the country.

History of Clinton National Airport

The airport, from an approach road

The airport was first named Adams Field. It was named after Captain George Geyer Adams. He was a pilot in the Arkansas National Guard and a strong supporter of the airport. Sadly, he died while on duty in 1937.

The very first airline to land at Adams Field was American Airlines. This happened on June 19, 1931.

During World War II, the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces. They used it for training and for patrols to look for submarines.

In 1972, the airport opened its current terminal building. This building has 12 gates where planes connect to the airport. In 2008, plans were made to make the terminal even bigger, expanding it to 16 gates over 15 years.

In 2012, the airport was renamed Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport. It was named after Bill Clinton, who was a former Governor of Arkansas and a United States President, and his wife, Hillary Clinton, who was a United States Secretary of State. The name Adams Field is still used for the runways and air traffic control.

In 2013, one travel survey ranked the airport lower than others. However, a survey done by the airport itself showed that over 90% of passengers were happy with their experience.

Airport Facilities and Aircraft

Welcome sign at terminal

Clinton National Airport covers a large area, about 2,000 acres. It is located 266 feet (81 meters) above mean sea level. The airport has three concrete runways for planes to take off and land. The longest runways are about 8,200 feet long. It also has one concrete helipad for helicopters.

In a recent year, the airport had over 83,000 aircraft operations. This means planes took off or landed about 228 times each day! Most of these flights were general aviation (smaller private planes). There were also many airline flights, air taxi flights, and even military planes. Military planes, especially C-130 transports from nearby Little Rock Air Force Base, often practice landings here.

There are also companies at the airport called Fixed-Base Operators (FBOs). They provide services like fueling, parking, and maintenance for private planes. Central Flying Service also offers aircraft maintenance, sales, and flight training.

A big company called Dassault Aircraft Services (DAS) has a large facility at the airport. They work on Falcon jets, which are business jets. This facility is where new Falcon jets get their special interiors and paint jobs. It's also a service center where these jets are inspected, maintained, and repaired. This Little Rock facility is the largest Dassault facility in the world, employing nearly 1,600 people.

Terminal Building

The airport has one main terminal building. It has twelve gates. Six gates are along the sides of the terminal, and six more are in a round area at the end.

Airlines and Destinations

Passenger Flights

Cargo Flights

Some airlines also carry cargo (goods and packages) from Clinton National Airport to other cities.

Airport Statistics

Top Destinations from LIT

Here are the busiest flight routes from Clinton National Airport to other cities in the U.S.

Busiest domestic routes from LIT (February 2023 – January 2024)

Rank	City	Passengers	Carriers
1	Atlanta, Georgia	254,890	Delta, Southwest
2	Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas	180,870	American
3	Denver, Colorado	117,840	Frontier, Southwest, United
4	Dallas–Love Field, Texas	112,900	Southwest
5	Charlotte, North Carolina	94,240	American
6	Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois	89,500	American, United
7	Houston–Intercontinental, Texas	72,190	United
8	St. Louis, Missouri	61,740	Southwest
9	New York–LaGuardia	28,760	American
10	Las Vegas, Nevada	25,090	Southwest

Annual Passenger Traffic

This table shows how many passengers have used the airport each year.

LIT Airport Annual Traffic 2019-Present

Year	Passengers	% Change
2019	2,241,716	—
2020	977,742	056.38%
2021	1,695,061	073.36%
2022	2,021,040	019.23%
2023	2,237,309	010.70%

Airline Market Share

This table shows which airlines carry the most passengers at Clinton National Airport.

5

Ground Transportation

You can get to and from the airport using Rock Region Metro's METRO Connect Microtransit service.

Accidents and Incidents

Airports sometimes experience incidents. Here are a few that have happened at Clinton National Airport:

• On January 19, 1990, a private jet had an accident during its final approach to the airport.
• On June 1, 1999, American Airlines Flight 1420 went off the end of a runway during a severe thunderstorm.
• On February 22, 2023, a small plane crashed shortly after taking off during bad weather.
• On January 21, 2024, a small plane crashed north of the cargo building after the pilot reported losing power during takeoff.

See also

In Spanish: Aeropuerto Nacional de Little Rock para niños