In 1927, the City of Madison purchased 290 acres of land for $35,380. Previously a cabbage patch for a nearby sauerkraut factory, the newly acquired land would later become the present-day home of the Dane County Regional Airport. In January 1936, the city council voted to accept a
Works Progress Administration grant for the construction of four runways and an airplane hangar. Additional grants financed the terminal and administrative building as well as electric floodlights. The development price tag was $1 million – 10% paid by the city and the remainder by the federal government. In September 1938, Barnstormer Howard Morey of Chicago; Edgar Quinn; and J.J. McMannamy organized the Madison Airways Corporation. The airport was renamed
Truax Field and activated as a
U.S. Army Air Corps airfield in June 1942 during
World War II. It was named for Madison native, Lt. Thomas "Bud" Truax, who died while training at the base in November 1941. During World War II, the field was used by the Army Air Corps Eastern Technical Training Center, a major school operating at Truax AAF for training radio operators and mechanics. In 2006, the airport completed a $68 million expansion that doubled the size of the terminal, built in a
Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced prairie style designed by the Architectural Alliance based in
Minneapolis. The new terminal accommodates 13 gates with jetways, WiFi, additional restaurant and retail vendors post-security, an art court, and both business and family lounges. The airport has also continued to expand its parking options, most recently in 2014. On February 7, 2018, the airport announced a significant terminal modernization program, including replacement of existing jet bridges and design work beginning in 2018 as well as major construction including additional jet boarding bridges beginning in 2019. The county is also planning to add an 8 MW solar energy site on airport-owned land. In 2021, the airport began construction on an $85 million expansion of the terminal dubbed the South Terminal expansion. This project adds three additional gates that can accommodate larger aircraft. The new terminal contains two stories with 45,000 square feet of public space. The first floor consists of 45,000 square feet of maintenance workshops and infrastructure. The concourse floor above includes the new gates, a restaurant, a play area for children, a nursing suite for mothers and a service animal relief area. The south terminal expansion was completed, and formally opened, in June 2023. As part of this expansion, three new gates were added to the airport. In addition to this expansion, development has begun on three additional gates. In February 2025, DCRA announced that it would formally apply for an international airport designation from the U.S. Treasury Department. The designation would allow passengers to fly directly to and from international destinations and satisfy customs requirements. ==Facilities==