The Lafayette Regional airport is located next to U.S. Highway 90 (future Interstate 49) on the east side of the city, close to offshore oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico.

[9] Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT) covers 746 acres (302 ha) at an elevation of 42 feet (13 m) above mean sea level.

It serves as the airport's crosswind runway, yet at 5,400 feet, it is only long enough for general aviation and light regional aircraft.

In the year ending February 28, 2022, the Lafayette Regional airport had 45,467 aircraft operations, an average of 124 per day: 53% general aviation, 34% air taxi, 2% military and 12% scheduled commercial.

[2] Lafayette Regional Airport has now completed a new cargo terminal on the southwest side of the airfield near the PHI headquarters.

It was envisioned by airport officials that the old cargo ramp would create more room for a planned main terminal building extension.

On December 6, 2014, local voters approved a ballot measure that would enable a new one percent sales tax to be collected in order to fund construction of a completely new passenger air terminal at Lafayette Regional Airport.

The 384th Army Air Force Base Unit administered the contract to a civilian-operated primary flying school (Lafayette School of Aeronautics) as a sub-base of DeRidder Army Air Base, Louisiana, which also had four auxiliary airfields located nearby for emergency and overflow landings.

[19] According to its December 1, 1958 system timetable, Eastern was operating a daily round trip flight with a Convair 340 on a routing of Brownsville – Corpus Christi – Houston Hobby Airport – Beaumont/Port Arthur – Lake Charles – Lafayette – Baton Rouge – New Orleans – Mobile – Pensacola – Montgomery – Birmingham – Atlanta.

[21][22] The first jet service into the airport was operated by Texas International Airlines (TI) with Douglas DC-9-10 twinjets to Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, New Orleans and other cities.

According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), during the 1970s Texas International was operating direct one stop, no change of plane DC-9 jet flights from Mexico City to Lafayette via a stop in Houston in addition to nonstop DC-9 jet service to the airport from New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Beaumont, TX and Lake Charles, LA as well as direct DC-9 flights from Dallas/Fort Worth, Abilene and San Angelo.

[24][25] In February 1976, TI was operating direct DC-9 jet service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Lafayette with six intermediate stops en route via Albuquerque, Roswell, NM, Midland/Odessa, TX, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Beaumont.

[26] By December 1979, Texas International was operating nine jet flights a day into Lafayette with Douglas DC-9-10s and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s with nonstop service from Houston (IAH), New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Beaumont, TX and Lake Charles, LA with direct, no change of plane jet service from Dallas/Ft.

Worth (DFW), Denver, Los Angeles (LAX), Baltimore, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Brownsville, TX, McAllen, Amarillo and Lubbock.

[28] By September 1994, Continental was operating direct McDonnell Douglas MD-80 service from New York Newark Airport to Lafayette via Baltimore and Houston.

[29] During the 1990s, American Eagle and Delta Connection were competing with nonstop service to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) with American Eagle flying Saab 340 turboprops and Delta Connection (operated by code sharing partner Atlantic Southeast Airlines) flying Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia propjets.

[19] Royale Airlines, based in Shreveport, Louisiana, served the airport with Beechcraft 99, Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante, Grumman Gulfstream I and Short 330 turboprops.

[20] Another commuter air carrier, Metro Airlines, served Lafayette with Short 330 turboprops nonstop to Houston Intercontinental.

Hammond Air Service flew nonstop to Houston Hobby Airport with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprops and Piper prop aircraft.

[20] Other commuter air carriers operating nonstop service to New Orleans in the past included Vantage Airlines in 1974 and Southern Skies in 1981.

Major airline mainline jet service resumed on July 3, 2014, when Delta Air Lines began Boeing 717-200 flights between Lafayette and Atlanta.

The airport was also served by Northwest Airlink with nonstop Saab 340 turboprop and Canadair CRJ200 regional jet flights to Memphis.

Colgan had flown Bombardier Q400 high-speed propjets (which is the largest and fastest member of the DHC-8 Dash 8 aircraft family) as well as Saab 340 turboprops operating feeder service for United to Houston.

Vision Airlines briefly served Lafayette during the summer of 2011 with Dornier 328 propjets nonstop to Ft. Walton Beach/Destin, FL via the Northwest Florida Regional Airport located on Eglin Air Force Base.

The exception was Delta Air Lines which began mainline service nonstop to Atlanta on July 3, 2014, using the Boeing 717-200 jetliner but is not currently operating this aircraft type into Lafayette.

[33] Delta Connection also began serving Lafayette with 76-seat Canadair CRJ900 regional jets which like the B717 feature first class, "Economy Comfort" and standard coach seating.

One of the largest aircraft types to previously serve Lafayette was the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 flown by Allegiant Air with nonstop service to Las Vegas before this airline ceased all flights from the airport.

[34] Another large aircraft type to serve the airport was the Airbus A320 flown by Frontier Airlines before this air carrier discontinued its service to Lafayette.

These large, four engine, military transport jets were supporting air show activities at the airfield at the time and were also later operated into the airport in order to transport motorcade vehicles for the Vice President of the United States in March 2022 when VP Kamala Harris visited Acadiana for a visit to Sunset, LA regarding new high-speed internet service.

Up to five Boeing 737 jetliners operated by United have been observed on the airport ramp at one time due to weather diversions.