KFXE

Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport

Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport features an array of outstanding amenities, including a 24-hour FAA air traffic control tower, US Customs and Border Protection facility, 24-hour aircraft rescue and firefighting services, 24-hour airport security, a Fort Lauderdale police substation, and four FBOs that provide fueling, maintenance, aircraft hangars, and other aviation and related services to aircraft operators and their passengers.

Airport history

FXE was built in 1941 in order to train Naval Aviators during World War II and was originally named West Prospect Satellite Field. In 1947, the federal government deeded the airport to Fort Lauderdale for use as a public airport. The airport was mostly unused until 1959, when the first structure was built, an aircraft maintenance training hangar. By the beginning of the 1970s, the airport adopted a lease-only policy for airport property to ensure self-sustainability with recurring revenue streams and prevent further loss of land. Then in the 1980s, jet operators began to base their operations at the airport. FXE installed the world’s first fully integrated Airport Noise Operations & Monitoring System (ANOMS) and officially created the Noise Abatement Program in the 1990s. It was awarded the Florida Department of Transportation’s Community Airport of the Year award in the 2010s.

Airport location

Located within the city limits of Fort Lauderdale, just five miles north of downtown Fort Lauderdale. 

Airport facts

● FXE is completely self-sustaining from land leases and aircraft fuel flowage fees.

● The airport pays for the control tower to be opened at night for safety and noise abatement purposes by reimbursing the FAA to man the tower. 

● Fort Lauderdale does receive state and federal grants generated from federal excise taxes on aviation fuel sales. Airport revenue must be used only for airport purposes, operational expenses, and capital improvements.

What to dress for

Fort Lauderdale forecast