Significant Flight Additions at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport for Derby 152

Significant Flight Additions at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport for Derby 152

More flights, record-setting crowds expected for airport's busiest time

The airlines are ramping up service at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) ahead of this year's Kentucky Derby, adding more flights to accommodate the surge of race fans expected for the fastest two minutes in sports. This year will see the addition of service from 24 routes at SDF spanning from the West Coast to the East Coast and including more flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City. Plus, nonstop service to six new markets were added just for Derby such as Salt Lake City, Kansas City, Austin and Santa Ana.

"Derby is consistently the busiest time of year at SDF, and preparations are underway for what we expect will be another strong influx of visitors," said Dan Mann, Executive Director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, which owns and operates Louisville's airport. "With five of our eight airline partners adding significant service, we anticipate record-setting passenger volumes passing through our terminal while the SDF team remains focused on delivering a smooth and positive travel experience for our guests."

American Airlines added the most flights for Derby 152 with 13 markets they do not currently fly at SDF including New York City-JFK, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and West Palm Beach. Delta Air Lines expanded their presence with five markets including Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Austin and Raleigh-Durham. Service from Los Angeles was also added by both Southwest and United Airlines as part of their increased airlift. Southwest will also be flying to Kansas City and Austin while United will also offer flights to San Francisco.

From Wednesday, April 29 through Friday, May 1, upwards of 35,000 arriving passengers are expected to make their way to Louisville for the 152^nd running of the roses. Thursday, April 30 will be the busiest day for arrivals with nearly 16,500 seats scheduled by the airlines.

Sunday, May 3 will once again be SDF's single busiest day of the year - more than doubling its daily average as nearly 20,000 people are expected to depart Louisville, bidding farewell to the city following their Kentucky Derby experience. Overall, this year is up 13% in total number of departures compared to 2025.

"We know it's going to be a very busy several days at the airport as we roll out the red-carpet for visitors," added Mann. "I'm confident this year's Derby will be another win for our airport thanks to the strong team at SDF who work closely with our airline partners, TSA, the FAA's air traffic control tower, our in-terminal concessionaires and many others to make this significant increase a seamless experience for travelers."

Markets added to SDF in 2026 for the Kentucky Derby include:

American Airlines
Austin (AUS)
Houston-George Bush (IAH)
Jacksonville (JAX)
Las Vegas (LAS)
Los Angeles (LAX)
New Orleans (MSY)
New York-JFK (JFK)
New York-LaGuardia (LGA)
Santa Ana, CA (SNA)
Phoenix (PHX)
Pittsburgh (PIT)
Raleigh/Durham (RDU)
West Palm Beach (PBI)

Delta Air Lines
Austin (AUS)
Los Angeles (LAX)
New York-JFK (JFK)
Raleigh/Durham (RDU)
Salt Lake City (SLC)

Southwest Airlines
Austin (AUS)
Kansas City (MCI)
Los Angeles (LAX)

Spirit Airlines
Newark (EWR)

United Airlines
Los Angeles (LAX)
San Francisco (SFO)