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San Antonio International Airport

Coordinates: 29°31′36″N 098°28′19″W / 29.52667°N 98.47194°W / 29.52667; -98.47194
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San Antonio International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of San Antonio
OperatorSan Antonio Aviation Department
ServesGreater San Antonio
LocationSan Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Elevation AMSL809 ft / 246 m
Coordinates29°31′36″N 098°28′19″W / 29.52667°N 98.47194°W / 29.52667; -98.47194
Websitesanantonio.gov/SAT
Maps
FAA airport diagram
FAA airport diagram
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
04/22 8,505 2,592 Concrete
13L/31R 5,519 1,682 Asphalt
13R/31L 8,502 2,591 Concrete
Statistics (2023)
Total passengers10,676,570
Aircraft operations (year ending 9/30/2023)160,684
Total cargo (lbs.)241,710,500

San Antonio International Airport (IATA: SAT, ICAO: KSAT, FAA LID: SAT) is an international airport in San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is in Uptown Central San Antonio, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Downtown. It has three runways and covers 2,305 acres (933 ha).[1][3] Its elevation is 809 feet (247 m) above sea level. SAT averages 260 daily departures and arrivals at its 27 gates, which serve 14 airlines flying non-stop to 45 destinations in the US and Mexico.[4] The airport is the 44th busiest airport in the United States by passenger traffic.

History

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Beginnings

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San Antonio International Airport was founded in 1941 when the City of San Antonio purchased 1,200 acres (490 ha) of undeveloped land that was then north of the city limits (now part of the city's Uptown District) for a project to be called "San Antonio Municipal Airport." World War II wartime needs meant the airport was not fully finished till after the war.

A large portion of the northeast section of the airport was pressed into federal government service. This area was known as Alamo Field and was used by the United States Army Air Forces as a training base.[5] The 77th Reconnaissance Group, equipped with various aircraft (P-39, P-40, A-20, B-25, O-47, O-52, and L-5) trained reconnaissance personnel who later served overseas. One squadron (113th) flew antisubmarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico.[6]

The first airline to serve the airport was Braniff Airlines in 1943, followed by American Airlines the following year. In 1944 the airports name was changed from San Antonio Municipal Airport to the current name of San Antonio International Airport. At the end of World War II the Alamo Field portion of the airport 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 June 1971, the airport was one of three original destinations along with Dallas and Houston for new startup Southwest Airlines.

Expansion for a growing city

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In 1975 the city adopted its first Airport Master Plan with plans for a new 1,300 space parking garage and a new 360,000 sq ft (33,000 m2) Terminal (formerly called Terminal 1, now called Terminal A). 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 221-foot (67 m) 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.[7] San Antonio boarded over 3.5 million passenger in 1999. Since 1966, the airport has boarded more than 80 million people.

Recent history

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From February to September 2006, the airport was a focus city for United Airlines (the airline called it a "hublet") with flights to 12 cities in conjunction with partner Trans States Airlines. Trans States Airlines redeployed its 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. From April 2007 to September 2008 ExpressJet operated a focus city under its own branded operations at the airport. Many of the cities served were ones previously operated during the United Airlines focus city the previous year. All service ended when ExpressJet folded its branded 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.

In June 2015, officials announced that the three-story short-term parking garage, which was over 30 years old, would be closed and demolished to make way for a new seven-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.[8] The airport received its first nonstop flight to Europe in May 2024, with German airline Condor launching seasonal service to Frankfurt.[9]

Expansion

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Beginning in 2023 with a scheduled completion in 2028, the airport will complete a new terminal, renovate the existing Terminal A, and upgrade the airfield and roadways to accommodate the projected growth and needs of passengers.

The new Terminal C will feature up to 17 domestic and international gates, with six of the gates able to accommodate wide-body aircraft. The new terminal will be about the same size as the current two terminals combined, providing ample room for new concession space, club lounges, and a modern federal inspection station for expanded international air service. It will also contain a central passenger screening area for all terminals.

Terminal A will be renovated with state-of-the-art systems and a wider concourse. New roadways will improve traffic flow and remove congestion.[10][11]

Current projects

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Construction began October 2023 on a Ground Load Facility expected to be completed by early 2025. The facility will be connected to the current Terminal A. It will contain three ground load gate positions, along with retail and food options. The facility is geared towards ultra low-cost airlines such as Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines.[12]

Facilities

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Terminals

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Terminal A ticket counters

San Antonio International Airport has two terminals with an overall 27 jet bridge gates. The original one-level terminal (formerly Terminal 2) 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 (now Terminal A) 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.[13] 12 of the current 14 airlines serving the airport operate from Terminal A, including the Airport's largest airline by passengers and routes served, Southwest Airlines.

Terminal B opened in November 2010, containing eight gates. Corgan Associates, Inc. and 3D/International designed the new terminal.[14] 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 arrivals level of Terminal B next to baggage claim. In 2022 construction began to add two more gates to Terminal B in order to better accommodate increasing passenger numbers. Construction was completed in January 2023, bringing the total gates for Terminal B to ten.[15]

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Aeroméxico Seasonal: Mexico City [16]
Aeroméxico Connect Mexico City [16]
Alaska Airlines Seattle/Tacoma [17]
Allegiant Air Seasonal: Las Vegas [18]
American Airlines Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Washington–National (begins March 2, 2025)[19]
Seasonal: Philadelphia[20] 		[21]
American Eagle Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles
Seasonal: Phoenix–Sky Harbor 		[21]
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, Boston,[22] Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York–JFK, Salt Lake City [23]
Frontier Airlines Denver, Las Vegas, Orlando [24]
Southwest Airlines Atlanta, Baltimore, Burbank (ends March 2, 2025),[25] Chicago–Midway, Dallas–Love, Denver, El Paso, Houston–Hobby, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa
Seasonal: Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, Cancún, Fort Lauderdale 		[26]
Spirit Airlines Atlanta (begins April 9, 2025), Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Orlando
Seasonal: Los Angeles, New Orleans (begins February 20, 2025)
Sun Country Airlines Seasonal: Cancún, Minneapolis/St. Paul [27]
United Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark, San Francisco, Washington–Dulles [28]
United Express Houston–Intercontinental, Washington–Dulles
Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare, San Francisco 		[28]
Viva Guadalajara,[29] León/Del Bajío, Mexico City, Monterrey, Querétaro
Seasonal:Torreón/Gómez Palacio[30] 		[31]
Volaris Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey[32][33]

Cargo

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AirlinesDestinations
Ameriflight Brownwood, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Fort Worth, Del Rio, Midland, San Angelo
DHL Express Cincinnati
FedEx Express El Paso, Fort Worth/Alliance, Laredo, Memphis
Martinaire Brownwood, Corpus Christi, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Houston–Intercontinental, Laredo
UPS Airlines Chicago/Rockford, El Paso, Fargo, Guadalajara, Houston–Intercontinental, Laredo, Louisville, McAllen, Miami, Monterrey
Seasonal: Raleigh/Durham

Statistics

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Top destinations

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Busiest domestic routes from SAT (June 2023 – May 2024)[34]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Texas Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 553,000 American
2 Georgia (U.S. state) Atlanta, Georgia 459,000 Delta, Southwest
3 Colorado Denver, Colorado 392,000 Frontier, Southwest, United
4 Arizona Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona 304,000 American, Southwest
5 Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada 302,000 Allegiant, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit
6 Texas Dallas–Love, Texas 288,000 Southwest
7 Texas Houston–Intercontinental, Texas 282,000 United
8 California Los Angeles, California 241,000 American, Delta, Southwest, Spirit
9 North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina 215,000 American
10 Illinois Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois 177,000 American, United
Largest airlines at SAT
(June 2023 – May 2024)[34]
Rank Airline Passengers Share
1 Southwest Airlines 3,752,000 37.24%
2 American Airlines 2,083,000 20.68%
3 Delta Air Lines 1,518,000 15.07%
4 United Airlines 1,391,000 13.81%
5 Spirit Airlines 523,000 5.20%
Other 807,000 8.01%

Passenger numbers

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Annual passenger traffic at SAT airport. See Wikidata query.

Annual traffic

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Annual passenger traffic at SAT
2010–2023[35]
Year Passengers Year Passengers
2010 8,034,720 2020 4,028,564
2011 8,171,824 2021 7,464,662
2012 8,243,221 2022 9,462,449
2013 8,252,330 2023 10,676,570
2014 8,369,628 2024
2015 8,507,459 2025
2016 8,618,139 2026
2017 9,063,542 2027
2018 10,044,411 2028
2019 10,363,040 2029
Annual international passenger traffic at SAT
2010–2023[36]
Year Passengers Year Passengers
2010 136,970 2020 207,684
2011 182,031 2021 741,572
2012 421,718 2022 555,808
2013 474,609 2023 621,321
2014 464,765 2024
2015 511,492 2025
2016 400,061 2026
2017 368,381 2027
2018 415,101 2028
2019 467,475 2029

Ground transportation

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The airport has a 1.8 million square foot consolidated rental car facility that was completed in January 2018. The facility is reached via a sky bridge from the mezzanine level of Terminal B.

The airport is located near the intersection of Interstate 410 and U.S. 281 in Uptown Central San Antonio. U.S. 281 provides quick drives (under 15 minutes in normal traffic) to Downtown and northern San Antonio. Interstate 410, a loop, makes the rest of the city easily accessible.

VIA Metropolitan Transit provides weekday express bus service from the airport directly to Downtown and a park & ride facility in Stone Oak on Route 7;[37] Route 5 provides local bus service and transfers to other routes at the North Star Transit Center.[38]

Other facilities

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ST Engineering maintains a large presence at the airport knows as SAA (San Antonio Aerospace) employing around 1,000 staff. The facilities were previously owned by Dee Howard Aircraft Maintenance and were purchased during the company's bankruptcy in 2002. The facility provides heavy maintenance and other services for numerous passenger and cargo airlines along with aircraft leasing operations. The most recent addition being a passenger to cargo conversion line for Airbus A320 series family.

Accidents and incidents

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b FAA Airport Form 5010 for SAT PDF, effective November 28, 2024.
  2. ^ "SAT Airport 2023 Passenger and Cargo Statistics" (PDF). flysanantonio.com. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "SAT airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "Calendar Year 2014 Passenger Boardings at Commercial Service Airports" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  5. ^ "An International Airport". San Antonio Conservation Society. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  6. ^ A History of Military Aviation in San Antonio. U.S. Department of Defense. 2000. p. 113. Alamo Field (today known as San Antonio International Airport). Used as an auxiliary field of Dyess Army Air Field and Brooks Field from 1942 until 1945.
  7. ^ "Vision 2050 A Flight Plan for San Antonio's Future" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 25, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  8. ^ San Antonio International Airport Opens New Consolidated Rental Car Facility
  9. ^ "Nonstop flights from San Antonio to Frankfurt begin in May". KEYE-TV. September 21, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  10. ^ "Terminal Development". April 26, 2023.
  11. ^ https://www.virtualbx.com/feature-story/san-antonio-international-airport-2040-plan-doubles-terminal-size-restructures-vehicular-traffic/ [bare URL]
  12. ^ "Here's what the new ground load facility at SAT will look like". February 23, 2023.
  13. ^ "SAT". www.sanantonio.gov. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  14. ^ "New Terminal B Opens at San Antonio International Airport - Clark Construction". www.clarkconstruction.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  15. ^ "In time for holiday travel, two new gates set to open at San Antonio airport". San Antonio Report. November 2, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Flight Schedule". Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  17. ^ Airlines, Alaska. "Flight timetable". Alaska Airlines. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  18. ^ "Flight schedules and notifications". Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  19. ^ "American Airlines Announces Start Date for New Nonstop Service". City of San Antonio. December 20, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  20. ^ "American Resumes Philadelphia – San Antonio Service From June 2024". Aeroroutes. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Flight schedules and notifications". Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  22. ^ "Delta Air Lines launches new nonstop flight service to Boston from San Antonio this November". August 9, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  23. ^ "FLIGHT SCHEDULES". Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  24. ^ "Frontier Airlines".
  25. ^ "Southwest Airlines Extends Flight Schedule With New International Options And Most-Ever Departures". October 26, 2023. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  26. ^ "Check Flight Schedules". Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  27. ^ "Route Map & Flight Schedule". Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  28. ^ a b "Timetable". Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  29. ^ "Viva expands new frequencies from Monterrey and Guadalajara". A21 (in Spanish). August 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  30. ^ "More International Routes: Viva Aerobus will inaugurate the Torreón – San Antonio flight". Transponder1200 (in Spanish). October 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  31. ^ "New Routes for you".
  32. ^ "More travel opportunities! Check out Volaris' eight new routes from Monterrey". El Debate (in Spanish). July 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  33. ^ "These will be the flights that Volaris will operate during April". Transponder 1200 (in Spanish). April 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  34. ^ a b "RITA | BTS | Transtats". Transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  35. ^ "Airport Data - San Antonio International Airport". Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  36. ^ "Airport Data - San Antonio International Airport". Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  37. ^ https://www.viainfo.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Schedule007.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  38. ^ https://www.viainfo.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Schedule005.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  39. ^ Accident description for N640NA at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on June 25, 2023.
  40. ^ Ley, Ana (October 29, 2012). "Plane makes emergency landing in S.A." Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  41. ^ Huertas, Rebecca Salinas, Tiffany (November 16, 2019). "Private jet crashes into parked plane on runway at San Antonio airport". KSAT. Retrieved December 2, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  42. ^ Cavazos, Fares Sabawi, Steven (December 2, 2019). "Three killed in plane crash near San Antonio International Airport". KSAT. Retrieved December 2, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  43. ^ Ranter, Harro. "Accident Piper PA-24-250 Comanche N6678P, 01 Dec 2019". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  44. ^ Carson, Dan (June 26, 2023). "Airline worker 'ingested' by plane at TX airport died by suicide". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
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