Wellstone City grew up too quickly to hold a large airport; by the time air travel was hitting its high point in the 30’s, there just wasn’t room for a full-scale airport on the island. A smaller strip was added to the Spanish Quarter in 1948. There was talk of putting one in close to the Waterfront when the hurricane of 1953 destroyed half of the Warrens, but it was decided that there were too many other large airports within a short distance and it was decided to rely on the highways and boats.
Today, however, the Wellstone City Municipal Airport is a hub of smaller jets and turbo-prop airplanes. It largely services commuter flights and freight, but there is a large number of private planes as well as helicopters that are serviced out of the airport.
For a small airport, it has an astounding amount of security; almost more so than the port. The DEA, ATF, and ICE all have offices nearby, but clever operators can get anything through the airport. Guns, drugs, counterfeit cash, and all manner of other illicit goods make it in and out of Wellstone City on planes and helicopters.
The crime syndicates try hard not to turn the airport into a warzone; they all need the freight that gets shipped in, and it’s very convenient. However, the government doesn’t feel the same way and makes sure that any sign of illicit activity is put down hard. They’re getting good at dealing with an issue with rapid response teams, which has lead the crime syndicates to get even better and faster at what they do. Entire teams of Freelancers do nothing but practice hitting the airport.
This was originally raised as a question on the Savage Worlds Forums by user Strife and a few others chiming in! Thanks guys!