Believe it or not, there was a time when you could fly directly into Walt Disney World — and we’re not talking about pixie dust or Tinker Bell’s flight path.
Yes, Disney World once had its own airport — complete with a real runway, working flights, and even plans for a much bigger future. Welcome to one of the most fascinating, little-known chapters in Disney history: the Lake Buena Vista STOLport.
Back in the early 1970s, as the newly opened Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida was beginning to capture the hearts of families across America, Walt’s “Florida Project” included far more than just theme parks and hotels.
One of the original goals was to make the resort as self-contained as possible — and that meant handling its own air travel.
Enter the Lake Buena Vista STOLport, a small airport built just off World Drive, close to the Magic Kingdom. The acronym STOL stands for Short Take-Off and Landing, which describes exactly what this modest facility was intended for.
The airport was simple: a single 2,000-foot runway, no terminal, no baggage claim, no Mickey-themed TSA. It was meant to be efficient and quick. Guests could fly in on small commuter planes and be whisked off to the parks faster than you can say “Monorail!”
Flights were offered by Shawnee Airlines and Executive Airlines, using small planes like the de Havilland Twin Otter, which were perfect for short flights to and from cities like Orlando, Tampa, and other nearby locations.
The idea was ideal for business travelers, locals, and regional visitors looking for an easy way to pop into Disney without the need for a car or airport shuttle.
What’s even more amazing is that there were early discussions and hopes — both inside and outside of Disney — that the STOLport could evolve into a major commercial airport for the Orlando area.
The Walt Disney Company had grand transportation plans, including the never-built EPCOT city of the future, and a full-scale airport fit into that master design.
While nothing was ever formally proposed to replace Orlando International (then McCoy Air Force Base), some local leaders saw potential in expanding Disney’s airport to accommodate more regional or even national flights. Imagine flying into Disney World instead of just near it!
Despite its promise and the buzz around it, the Lake Buena Vista STOLport was short-lived. Here’s why it faded into Disney legend:
By the early 1980s, the airport was no longer in operation. No planes, no flights, no more sky-high entrances into the Magic Kingdom.
For decades, the old runway was still visible on satellite images — a long, narrow strip of pavement hidden behind trees, backstage facilities, and service roads. While it’s mostly overgrown or repurposed today, the ghost of Disney’s airport still lingers in the geography.
The circled area is where
the runway once was
Rumors even persist of early “musical grooves” carved into the runway to play Disney tunes via the vibration of aircraft tires — though that might be more Imagineering myth than reality.
Disney’s airport experiment didn’t soar as hoped, but it’s a fun reminder that Walt Disney World was — and still is — a living, breathing dreamland. The ambition behind building a working airport on property speaks volumes about how big the original plans really were.
So the next time you’re stuck in traffic on I-4 wondering if there’s a faster way to get to Magic Kingdom… just remember, once upon a time, there was.
