Lakefront Airport

NEW originated in 1929 on orders of Huey Long, and it was created on a man-made peninsula dredged by The Orleans Levee board. Originally named Shushan Airport, the airport was opened on the 10th of February 1934. Having been named after Levee board President Abraham Shushan the airport was forced to be renamed New Orleans Airport in 1939, following Shushan’s involvement in the Louisiana scandals of the late 1930s. During WW II, the Airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces and housed the Tropical Weather School in 1945. Up until 1946 (when the new Moisant International Airport, now the Louis Armstrong International Airport, went into service), NEW had been the main airline airport for New Orleans. However, in the early 1960s, the main terminal building had thick concrete panels added to it, thereby turning it into a Cold War bomb shelter. In 2005, Lakefront Airport was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina, and although the airport was quickly brought back to service, many facilities remained in temporary trailers for years after that. Following Hurricane Katrina, the airport needed renovations, which included the main terminal building’s restoration to its original Art Deco facade.

The airport is located five miles northwest of downtown New Orleans. 

• The Fountain of the Four Winds by Enrique Alferez is a prominent sculpture in front of the terminal building and is considered a local landmark. 
• NEW has hosted the WWII Air, Sea & Land Festival since 2014, honoring the men and women of WWII through re-enactments, aviation displays, and vehicle displays. 
• The FBO at NEW is Signature Flight Support and Flightline Operations. 
• NEW has been featured in numerous films, including the 1973 James Bond film "Live and Let Die" and 2011's "Green Lantern," amongst others.