KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Earlier this month, St. Louis Lambert International Airport announced plans for an international flight, which prompted Olivia to check on the status of KCI's efforts. Share your story idea with Olivia.
With the FIFA 2026 World Cup less than a year away, Kansas City International Airport is expected to welcome travelers from around the world — but not nonstop from Europe.
That's one destination travelers still can't fly to nonstop from KCI.
"We looked at a flight to Italy, and we had to go to New York in order to get nonstop," Kansas City residents Darrel and Kathryn Duren said. "It would be great, because we might travel more that way."
It's a common complaint. Kansas City residents have to connect through larger airports like Chicago, New York or Atlanta to cross the Atlantic, yet neighboring airports like St. Louis and Indianapolis are adding transatlantic routes.
"I think Kansas City has the potential to be like a huge hub for international flights to come in and out of. And I think it would bring a lot of good economic impacts," said Kourtni Christensen, a Kansas City resident.
Harold Moret, a KCI traveler, agreed with the potential.
"I think your setup is perfect for that," Moret said.
Deputy Director of Aviation Justin Meyer says it's not a lack of runway or resources holding back international service.
"Our runways are about two miles long each. That's plenty of space," Meyer said.
The challenge is funding. The aviation department is paying for the $1.5 billion new terminal, but they can't pay an airline to start service.
"The airport's job is to open the door, and in terms of long haul international, it's the community's job to kind of finalize this," Meyer said. "When we look at peer airports that have successfully landed recent service, be it St. Louis or Indianapolis or Cleveland and Cincinnati, it's really been driven by a very large community support package."
Federal rules prevent the airport and the city from paying airlines to launch routes, and airlines have struggled in recent years.
"Airlines are retrenching more than they're adding. So it's a tough time right now in today's world, to be growing," Meyer said.
As for what the airport can do now, Meyer says they're still talking with airlines in Europe, though there’s nothing imminent. He points to December 5 — the World Cup draw date — as an important milestone to watch.
That’s when we'll find out what countries will play in Kansas City, and we'll most likely see extra sections or charter flights bringing teams and their fans from across the world.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
