An introducer for a surgical airway catheter has a proximal handle a curved, rod-shaped main section an opening-enlarging region and a rod-shaped distal tip, sized to receive the catheter tube. After making an initial opening in a patients trachea, the operator inserts the distal tip into the initial opening up to the cutting region. The operator uses the opening-enlarging region to sufficiently widen the opening by moving the introducer from side to side or simply by inserting the introducer into the opening to enable the widened opening to receive the tube and cuff of the catheter. The operator rotates the introducer and catheter into the trachea through the widened opening and then removes the introducer leaving the catheter in place. The introducer and catheter can be pre-configured in a surgical kit having a retractable scalpel configurable onto the introducers handle and used to excise the initial tracheal opening.
