San Antonio International Airport
San Antonio International Airport is an international airport in San Antonio, Texas. It is in Uptown Central San Antonio, about 8 miles north of Downtown. It has three runways and covers 2,305 acres. Its elevation is above sea level. SAT averages 260 daily departures and arrivals at its 24 gates, which serve 12 airlines flying non-stop to 53 destinations in the US and Mexico.
History
San Antonio International Airport was founded in 1941 when the City of San Antonio purchased of undeveloped land that was then north of the city limits for a project to be called "San Antonio Municipal Airport." World War II wartime needs meant the unfinished airport was pressed into federal government service. The airport opened in July 1942 as Alamo Field and was used by the United States Army Air Forces as a training base.The 77th Reconnaissance Group, equipped with various aircraft trained reconnaissance personnel who later served overseas. One squadron flew antisubmarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico.
At the end of the war the airfield was no longer needed by the military and was turned over to the City of San Antonio for civil use.
Terminal 2 was built in 1951–53, along with the FAA control tower and a baggage claim area. For HemisFair '68, a new satellite concourse was built, containing eight jet bridge gates and passenger waiting areas.
In 1975 the city adopted its first Airport Master Plan with plans for a new 1,300 space parking garage and a new Terminal. Once the new terminal was completed in 1984 it brought the airport's capacity up from eight gates to 27 gates. In 1986 a new FAA Air Traffic Control Tower was built at a new location.
In 1994 a second Airport Master Plan was developed that would take the airport into the 21st century. This plan included major updates for the airport: more parking spaces in a 3,000 space parking garage to be completed by 2007, improved airport access and an improved concession program. Two new terminals were planned to replace Terminal 2, to increase the airports gate count to 35.
San Antonio boarded over 3.5 million passenger in 1999. Since 1966, the airport has boarded more than 80 million people.
From February to September 2006, the airport was a focus city for United Airlines with flights to 12 cities in conjunction with their partner Trans States Airlines. Trans States Airlines redeployed their aircraft elsewhere, eliminating service to seven cities. Mexicana celebrated 50 years serving the airport in September 2007, but suspended service to San Antonio in August 2010 when the airline went bankrupt and suspended operations.
On November 9, 2010, the original Terminal 2 closed, and Terminal B opened. Terminal 1 was then renamed Terminal A. The removal of fixtures in the old Terminal 2 began in January 2011. Final demolition of Terminal 2 was in May 2011.
In 2013, the SAT Customs and Border Protection became a Global Entry enrollment center.
The airport is undergoing a multimillion-dollar expansion project which will add new terminals and parking facilities. The master plan for the project will increase gate capacity to 35. In addition, construction projects involving Interstate 410 and U.S. Highway 281 have improved access to the airport. Future plans also call for Stinson Municipal Airport, currently serving general aviation, to become the city's secondary commercial airport.
In June 2015, it was announced that the 3-story short-term parking garage, which was over 30 years old, would be closed and demolished in order to make way for a new 7-story parking garage and Consolidated Rental Car Center. Work began in early 2017 on the 1.8 million square feet facility, which was planned to house up to 14 rental car brands and short-term public parking. The public parking portion was completed in April 2017, and the rental car portion opened in January 2018.
Future
The airport's master plan calls for another new terminal, Terminal C, to be constructed when it is needed; current estimates are that design work could begin in 2020. Preliminary plans for Terminal C call for five gates which could be expanded to 11 gates as passenger counts require. There are also long-range plans for a fourth terminal which could have up to 20 gates, to be built as needed.Facilities
Terminals
San Antonio International Airport has two terminals with an overall 24 jet bridge gates. The original one-level terminal opened in 1953 with ground-loading holding areas and was expanded twice, once in 1959 with new east and west wings, and again in 1968 with an eight-gate satellite concourse, which was built to handle visitors to HemisFair '68. Terminal 2 closed on November 9, 2010 as the new Terminal B opened, and Terminal 2 began to be demolished in March 2011, with completion in January 2012. A second terminal opened in 1984 with a 16-gate concourse. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility is located in Terminal A.Terminal A is the larger of the two concourses with 17 gates in total. All international carriers operate out of Terminal A. On June 18, 2014, a $35.6 million renovation was completed for this terminal, with the most visible improvements to passengers being new terrazzo floors, updated food courts, and new signage. On October 15, 2014, all gates in Terminal A were renumbered in sequential order. Eight carriers operate from Terminal A, with 15 of the 17 gates in use.
Terminal B, which opened in November 2010, contains 8 gates. Corgan Associates, Inc. and 3D/International designed the new terminal. American and Continental were the two original airlines at Terminal B. United, at the time located in Terminal A, moved into Terminal B on August 1, 2012 during the merger with Continental. A United Club is located between gates B3 and B5. The USO is located on the bottom level of Terminal B next to baggage claim.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Statistics
Top destinations
| Rank | Airline | Passengers | Share |
| 1 | Southwest Airlines | 3,862,000 | 40.18% |
| 2 | American Airlines | 2,151,000 | 22.39% |
| 3 | United Airlines | 1,045,000 | 10.87% |
| 4 | Delta Airlines | 986,000 | 10.26% |
| 5 | Frontier Airlines | 463,000 | 4.82% |
| 6 | Other | 1,103,000 | 11.48% |
Annual traffic
Accidents and incidents
- On January 31, 1967, a Saturn Airways DC-6 was operating on a cargo flight to Kelly AFB. The crew decided to divert to San Antonio International Airport and commenced the approach. The airplane descended below the glide slope, flew through trees and collided with a cliff. All 3 occupants were killed.
- On August 1, 2012, a bomb threat was made at 2 p.m. that resulted in one cancellation, three diverted flights and 28 delays. Nearly 2,000 passengers and staff personnel were evacuated onto the runway and into nearby high school buildings.
- On October 29, 2012, Interjet Flight 2953, scheduled to Mexico City International Airport, made an emergency landing at San Antonio after suffering engine sputtering problems that was caused by a bird strike. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
- On July 2, 2014, A Beechcraft Bonanza A36 suffered a landing gear malfunction while on approach to the airport. The aircraft made many go-arounds and attempts to land on the runway with no gears. The pilot then notified the tower that the plane was running low on fuel and that the pilot was going to make the decision and land on the smaller runway 12L. The pilot then began to dump fuel to slow the aircraft down. The pilot then shut down the engine, shut off the propeller and landed on the runway with the aircraft's belly. Both passengers and the pilot made it out safely and without any injuries.
- On November 15, 2019, a Cessna 525 Citation arriving from San Jose International Airport collided with a parked Cessna 560 Citation during taxi to a service center. No injuries were reported.
- On December 1, 2019, a Piper PA-24 Comanche en route to Boerne from Sugar Land crashed in a neighborhood while attempting an emergency landing at the airport. While there were no injuries on the ground, the 3 occupants of the aircraft were killed.