Meridian Regional Airport was established in 1928 and opened in November 1930 with the completion of the terminal, hangar, powerhouse, and a graded and packed dirt runway. Meridian city officials asked Al and Fred Key, who operated the Key Brothers' Flying School at Bonita, to co-manage the new facility. The brothers maintained their flying school at the new field as well as their other duties, such as selling commercial airline tickets, operating the terminal and hangar, and handling airmail delivery schedules.

With the onset of the Great Depression, the City of Meridian considered abandoning the airport because of the cost of maintenance. The Key Brothers, wanting to keep the airport in business, planned to break the standing flight endurance record of 23 days and therefore focusing worldwide attention on Meridian and its airport.

From June 4 until July 1, 1935, the brothers flew over Meridian for a total flight time of over 27 days. Key Field is named in their honor. The hangar and offices used by the Key brothers preceding and following the flight are still in use today and are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

During World War II, the facility operated under the name Key Field Air National Guard Base and was controlled by the United States Army Air Corps.

Historic Airline Service

Delta Air Lines began the first commercial air service to Meridian in 1930. Meridian became a stop on Delta's mainline route between Dallas, Texas and Charleston, South Carolina. Various prop aircraft were used over the years, including the Lockheed Model 10 Electra, Douglas DC-3, Douglas DC-4, Convair 340, and Douglas DC-6. By the 1970s, Delta had initiated jet service to Meridian using the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30. On Feb. 1, 1976, the Official Airline Guide (OAG) listed two flights a day operated by Delta with the DC-9, including a daily nonstop flight from Atlanta and a daily direct flight from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, which made two intermediate stops en route at Monroe, Louisiana and Jackson, Mississippi. Delta's mainline jet service ended in the spring of 1979. Delta would eventually return to Meridian with its service in 1985, operating as the Delta Connection via a code sharing agreement by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA). Delta flew nonstop from both Atlanta and Memphis flown with de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 and Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante turboprop aircraft.

Southern Airways began serving Meridian in 1962 with direct flights to Atlanta, Memphis, and New Orleans, making intermediate stops en route at other cities. Southern was operating Douglas DC-3 and Martin 4-0-4 prop aircraft at this time. By 1968, Southern had introduced DC-9 jet service to Meridian and began nonstop flights to Atlanta. According to the Feb. 1, 1976 OAG, Southern was operating five flights a day into Meridian, all with Douglas DC-9-10 jets, and nonstop from Birmingham, Alabama, Columbus, Mississippi and Laurel/Hattiesburg, Mississippi, with direct service from Atlanta, Chicago O'Hare Airport, Memphis and Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

In 1979 Southern merged with North Central Airlines, and the combined airlines were renamed Republic Airlines. The Dec. 1, 1979 OAG lists Republic as the only airline serving Meridian at this time, with the carrier operating Douglas DC-9-10 and larger McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 jets on nonstop and direct one-stop flights from Atlanta. The carrier also operated nonstop from Laurel/Hattiesburg, nonstop Convair 580 turboprop flights from Memphis, and direct one-stop Convair 580 flights from New Orleans. Republic continued to serve Meridian with DC-9 jets as well as Convair 580 turboprop aircraft until 1984.

Three commuter airlines came to Meridian in 1984 after Republic ended service. Scheduled Skyways and Sunbelt Airlines began service to Memphis, and Atlantic Southeast Airlines started flights to Atlanta. Sunbelt went out of business later in 1984, and Skyways merged into Air Midwest in 1985 but ended service to Meridian within a few months. Before merging with Air Midwest in 1985, Scheduled Skyways was operating four direct flights a day into Meridian from Memphis with Nord 262 and Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner commuter prop jets, with all of these flights making an intermediate en-route stop in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA), operating as the Delta Connection on behalf of Delta Air Lines, resumed Delta service to Meridian. The carrier used Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante, Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, and de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 turboprop aircraft and added service to Memphis for several years during the mid-1980s. By the late 1990s, service to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) was operated with a stop in Lafayette, Louisiana. By the early 2000s, the DFW flights had ended, and ASA introduced Bombardier CRJ100/200 regional jets on nonstop flights to Atlanta. ASA/Delta Connection service to Meridian ended in 2012.

Republic Express, operated by Express Airlines I on behalf of Republic Airlines via a code sharing agreement, brought back Republic service in 1985 with flights to Memphis.