The motion picture version of Airport was written and directed by George Seaton and produced by Ross Hunter for Universal Pictures in 1970.

The film, which retains most of the characters and situations of the novel, has an all-star cast headed by Burt Lancaster as Mel Bakersfeld and Dean Martin as Vernon Demerest. Although reviewers were lukewarm in their assessments, it was a box-office smash and, predictably, had several equally successful sequels.