SFO

SFO. San Francisco International Airport is a major gateway to Asia and Europe and a primary hub for United Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Located 13 miles south of downtown San Francisco in San Mateo County, California, it is the largest airport in the San Francisco Bay Area and the second-busiest in California. The airport is owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco and features four passenger terminals with over 50 gates on its International Terminal.

History

The airport opened in 1927 on leased land from the Mills Estate, initially known as Mills Field Municipal Airport. Its early development was spurred by the growing prominence of Pan American World Airways and its China Clipper service across the Pacific Ocean. Significant expansion occurred post-World War II, with the iconic Central Terminal (now Harvey Milk Terminal 1) opening in 1954. The airport was a focal point during the Jet Age, with the construction of its distinctive control tower in the 1980s. Major renovations followed the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, leading to the construction of the current International Terminal, which opened in 2000.

Facilities and terminals

The airport's facilities are organized around four numbered terminals: Harvey Milk Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, and the International Terminal. The International Terminal houses the Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum and is connected to all other terminals via the AirTrain automated people mover. Landside amenities include the Grand Hyatt at SFO hotel and the BART station located in the International Terminal garage. The airfield features four runways, with the parallel runways 28L/10R and 28R/10L capable of handling simultaneous arrivals in poor weather using Precision Runway Monitor technology.

Airlines and destinations

As a global hub, the airport is dominated by United Airlines, which operates a major trans-Pacific and domestic hub from Terminal 3 and the International Terminal. Alaska Airlines maintains a significant focus city operation from Terminal 2. Other major U.S. carriers include American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines. Internationally, it is served by a vast array of carriers such as All Nippon Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines, connecting the Bay Area to destinations across Asia, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas.

Ground transportation

The airport is directly connected to the regional BART rail system, with a station providing service to San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and other parts of the Bay Area. Numerous SamTrans bus lines and private shuttle services like SuperShuttle provide connections to the Peninsula and South Bay. Taxis, Uber, and Lyft operate from designated pickup areas, and rental cars are available from companies such as Hertz and Enterprise Rent-A-Car at the on-site Rental Car Center, accessible via the AirTrain.

Statistics

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the seventh-busiest airport in the United States by passenger count and the fifth-busiest by international passenger traffic. In 2023, it served over 50 million passengers, with United Airlines commanding the largest market share. Key international routes include service to London Heathrow Airport, Tokyo Haneda Airport, and Frankfurt Airport. The airport is also a major air cargo facility, with FedEx Express and UPS Airlines operating significant freight operations.

Accidents and incidents

The airport has experienced several notable accidents, including the 1953 crash of a Pan American World Airways Boeing 377 near Salinas, California. The 1964 crash of a Flying Tiger Line Lockheed Constellation on approach was a major factor in the development of the Ground Proximity Warning System. A significant incident was the 2013 crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214, a Boeing 777, which struck a seawall short of the runway, resulting in three fatalities. The subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board led to renewed focus on pilot training and Instrument Landing System procedures.