Local maps show four runways at MSO. How come?
When Missoula International Airport was constructed, it actually had four physical runways: • Runway 11-29 • Runway 07-25 • Runway 02-20 • Runway 16-34 While 11-29 and 7-25 remain fully operational today, 2-20 and 16-34 were closed in the 1980’s. Why were they closed? Aircraft need to take off and land into the wind as much as practical. Wind generally blows through the Missoula Valley in an east-west direction, and since Runways 02-20 and 16-34 were more or less oriented in a north-south direction, the winds usually didn’t favor their use. In addition, the threshold for both of these runways intersected at a point where the new Airport Public Safety building was to be constructed. As a result, the last planes landed on 02-20 and 16-34 in the 1980’s, however the remains of these runways are still clearly visible from the air.
