TULSA, Oklahoma — A groundbreaking ceremony was held Aug. 1, 2024, at Tulsa International Airport (KTUL) for its new Senator James M. Inhofe Air Traffic Control Tower Complex, the airport’s largest infrastructure project in its history.
The complex will replace the airport’s existing air traffic control tower and base building, which was commissioned in 1957 and opened in 1961, making it one of the oldest towers within the FAA’s air traffic organization, according to airport officials.
The new tower is set to stand at 257 feet, more than 100 feet taller than the current tower. The increased height will improve visibility and allow the airport to develop additional property on its land, airport officials noted.
All air traffic within a 50-mile radius of Tulsa International Airport is managed by the controllers at KTUL, including commercial service cargo and passenger carriers, military operators, private pilots, corporate charters, emergency responders, and medical service providers. In 2023, the FAA directed more than 328,000 terminal operations from its Tulsa ATC complex. The KTUL complex also serves as a redundant control facility for air traffic operations in the Oklahoma City area should those facilities experience a catastrophic disruption in service, airport officials said.
The new complex is named after the late Senator James Inhofe, a passionate general aviation advocate.
According to airport officials, the timeline for the $112 million project estimates construction will be completed in October 2026. FAA equipment installation will begin in the winter of 2026, with operations set to begin in the new tower in the Spring of 2027.
For more information: FlyTulsa.com, FAA.gov