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Minnesota Now with Nina Moini
Nina Moini and Ngoc Bui

St. Paul Downtown Airport to celebrate 100 years of aviation history

A black and white image of a plane at an airport.
For decades, the St. Paul Downtown Airport was the main hub for Northwest Airways, which eventually became Northwest Airlines, to service an airmail route from Minnesota to Chicago.
Courtesy of Metropolitan Airports Commission

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Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport may be the go-to for many Minnesotans and a hub for Delta Air Lines. But decades ago, the St. Paul Downtown Airport was the epicenter of aviation for Minnesota. It was there that the first private airmail route for the Midwest originated and where Northwest Airlines built up its operations before eventually merging with Delta.

Bruce Kitt, archive manager of the Northwest Airlines History Center, joined MPR News host Nina Moini for a history tour of the St. Paul airport, which commemorates 100 years of service Thursday.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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