This issue of Thoracic Surgery Clinics of North America, guest edited by Drs. Jean Deslauriers, Farid Shamji, and Bill Nelems, is the first of two devoted to Fundamentals of Airway Surgery. The editors have assembled expert authors to review the following topics: Birth of Airway Surgery and Evolution over the Past Half-Century; Regional and Applied Anatomy of the Tracheo-Bronchial Tree from Larynx to Segmental Bronchus; Advanced Technologies for Imaging and Visualization of the Tracheobronchial Tree; Anesthesia and Gas Exchange during Airway Surgery; The Importance of Good Communications Between Anesthesiologists and Thoracic Surgeons; Tracheal Injuries Complicating Prolonged Intubation and Tracheostomy; Biology of Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Tracheo-Bronchial Tree and Principles of Management; Pathology of Primary Tracheobronchial Malignancies other than Adenoid Cystic Carcinomas; Tuberculosis and Other Granulomatous Diseases of the Airway; Tracheobronchomalacia and Expiratory Collapse of Central Airways; Management of Idiopathic Laryngo-Tracheal Stenosis; Subglottic Tracheal Resection and Synchronous Laryngeal Reconstruction with Preservation of the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerves: The Pearson Operation; Laryngeal Split and Rib Cartilage Interpositional Grafting: Treatment Option for Glottic/Subglottic Stenosis in Adults; Distal Tracheal Resection and Reconstruction; Factors Favoring and Impairing Healing of Tracheal Anastomosis; Prophylaxis and Treatment of Complications After Tracheal Resection; Non-Operative Endoscopic Management of Benign Tracheo-Bronchial Disorders; From Open to Bedside Percutaneous Tracheostomy; Anterior Mediastinal Tracheostomy; and more