Dane County Regional Airport Dane County Regional Airport , formerly known as Truax Field , is a joint civil - military commercial airport located five nautical miles ( 9 km ) northeast of the central business district of Madison , the capital of Wisconsin . It has three runways and in 2011 it served over 1 . 5 million passengers . MSN serves American Airlines , Delta Air Lines , Frontier Airlines , and United Airlines , with Delta Air Lines being the carrier with the most flights . These airlines offer non - stop service to thirteen major hubs throughout the country - with over 94 departures and arrivals daily , and additional destinations such as Washington DC , New York City , and Orlando . Delta ' s Airbus 319s , 320s , and MD - 90s , along with Frontier ' s Airbus 319s , are among the largest aircraft that can be seen at the Dane County Regional Airport . Truax Field was named in honor of Lieutenant Thomas L . Truax , USAAF , a Wisconsin native who was killed ( along with his wingman , Lieutenant Speckman ) in a P - 40 training accident during poor weather in San Anselmo , CA on November 2 , 1941 , just before the United States ' entry into World War II . The airport is home to both the Wisconsin Army National Guard and the 115th Fighter Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard , which operates F - 16 Fighting Falcon aircraft . The 115th Fighter Wing is one of 14 operational air defense units responsible for air defense of the eastern continental United States . History . Originally known as Madison Army Airfield , Truax Field was activated as an U . S . Army Air Forces airfield in June 1942 during World War II . During the war it was used by the Army Air Force Eastern Technical Training Center , a major school operating at Truax AAF for training radio operators and mechanics , and later expanded to training in radar operations , control tower operations and other communications fields for the Army Airways Communication Service . A special unit established in 1943 trained radio operators and mechanics on B - 29 Superfortress communications equipment . The host unit on the airfield was the 334th ( later 3508th ) Army Air Force Base Unit . On September 17 , 1945 , the airfield ' s mission was changed to that of a separation center , and it was closed as an active AAF airfield on November 30 , 1945 . Conveyed to local civilian authorities , the Madison Municipal Airport also became the home of the Wisconsin Air National Guard and its present day 115th Fighter Wing ( 115 FW ) , an Air National Guard fighter wing operationally - gained by the Air Combat Command ( ACC ) and which still operates from the base , flying the F - 16 Fighting Falcon . A 31 , 000 square foot terminal building was built on the west side of the airfield . The cost of the new terminal was $ 2 . 36 million , and it opened on December 15 , 1966 . In 1986 , the airport tripled in size with a $ 12 million project that expanded the terminal from 32 , 000 square feet to 90 , 000 square feet , adding a second level concourse with six boarding bridges . In 2006 the airport completed a $ 65 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 . New features include more restaurant and retail area post - security , an art court , and both business and family lounges . As has been the case in the past decade the airport has once again been adding additional parking since 2007 . The new terminal holds 13 gates with jetways , WiFi , 6 restaurants , family and business gathering rooms , and an art gallery . Facilities and aircraft . Dane County Regional Airport covers an area of 4 , 000 acres at an elevation of 887 feet ( 270 m ) above mean sea level . It has three runways with concrete surfaces : 3 / 21 is 7 , 200 by 150 feet ( 2 , 195 x 46 m ) ; 14 / 32 is 5 , 846 by 150 feet ( 1 , 782 x 46 m ) ; 18 / 36 is 9 , 006 by 150 feet ( 2 , 745 x 46 m ) . The fixed base operator ( FBO ) is Wisconsin Aviation , which purchased the assets of the former FBO , Four Lakes Aviation , in 1994 . More recent data shows the following operations annually for the last six years : 2005 : 115 , 818 2006 : 115 , 613 2007 : 119 , 760 2008 : 111 , 134 2009 : 96 , 700 2010 : 96 , 205 2011 : 83 , 263 2012 : 82 , 777 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 ( MSN Airport , 2012 ) . In January 1936 , the city council voted to accept a WPA grant for 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 , 000 , 000 – 10 % paid by the city and remainder by the federal government ( MSN Airport , 2012 ) . In September 1938 , Barnstormer Howard Morey of Chicago , Edgar Quinn and J . J . McMannamy organized the Madison Airways Corporation ( MSN Airport , 2012 ) . In 1942 , operation of the airfield was also transferred to the US Army Air Corps . The airfield was renamed Truax Field , in honor of Madisonian Lt . Thomas L . Truax , who died in a training flight shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor . Twenty years later in 1962 , the city completed a long - range master plan – paving the way for a grant from the Federal Aid to Airports Program – a new terminal and taxiway system was designed . This would be the first expansion for the airport . A modern 31 , 000 square foot terminal building was built across the airfield on the west side – which was eight - times larger than the original east side terminal . The cost of the new terminal was $ 2 . 36 million , it opened on December 15 , 1966 . By 1968 , the US Air Force was completely phased out at Truax field , leaving the Wisconsin Air National Guard to perform alert / interceptor mission exclusively 770 acres of land and many buildings were deeded to the city . In 1974 , newer transportation was introduced to the airport , they added jet service through Northwest Orient Airlines and were averaging over 500 , 000 passengers per year . In 1986 , the airport tripled in size with a $ 12 million project that expanded the terminal from 32 , 000 square feet to 90 , 000 square feet , adding a second level concourse with six boarding bridges . In 1991 , a $ 3 . 8 million expansion added a 50 - foot high glass atrium and a commuter gate – expanding the terminal to over 125 , 000 square feet . A multi - level parking structure was built in 1993 , with an additional level added in 1998 . In 2001 , a groundbreaking ceremony initiated a 5 - year , $ 68 million building project that doubled the size of the terminal to 274 , 000 square feet .