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In 1911, a site for an air field was chosen in a location known as Basque Flats, named for Spanish-French sheep herders who worked the fields in the then desolate area of the Salt Lake Valley. A cinder-covered landing strip was created, far better than the small fields at the Utah State Fairpark, which had previously been used by aircraft visiting the city. Great International Aviation Carnival was held the same year and brought aviation pioneers representing Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company and a team representing the Wright Brothers to Salt Lake. World-famous aviator Glenn H. Curtiss brought his newly-invented Seaplane to the carnival, a type of airplane which had never been demonstrated to the public before. Curtiss took off from the nearby Great Salt Lake, awing the 20,000 spectators and making international headlines.[7]
For several years after its creation, the new field was used for primarily for training and aerobatic flights rather than economic purposes. That would change in 1920, when the United States Postal Service began air mail service to Salt Lake. The airport was expanded and hangars and other buildings began to appear. During the same year the airfield was given the name Woodward Field, named for John P. Woodward, a local aviator.[8]
In 1925, the postal service began awarding contracts to private companies. Western Air Express, the first private company to carry U.S. mail, began flying from Salt Lake to Los Angeles via Las Vegas. Less than one year later, Western Air Express would begin flying passengers along the same route. Western Air Express later evolved into Western Airlines, which operated a large hub in Salt Lake.
Charles Lindbergh visited Woodward Field in 1927 drawing many spectators to see The Spirit of St. Louis. During the next few years, the airport would gain an additional runway, and would span over 400 acres (1.6 km²). In 1930, the airport was renamed Salt Lake Municipal Airport.
The first official terminal and airport administration building was built in 1933 at a cost of $52,000. By then, United Airlines had also begun serving Salt Lake as one of its stops between New York and San Francisco.
As air travel became more popular and the United States Air Force established a base at the airport during World War II, a third runway was added. A new terminal was also needed and work began on the west side of the airport to build Terminal 1, which was dedicated in 1960 after seven years of work and a cost of $8 million. In 1968, the airport was given its current name of Salt Lake International Airport.
Once airline deregulation occurred in 1978, the need for hub airports became prevalent. Western Airlines, which had ties to Salt Lake since its inception, naturally chose the airport as one of its hubs and took advantage of its geographical location to connect passengers throughout the country. Terminal 2 was built solely for Western and featured several murals by artist LeConte Stewart.
During the 1980s, the airport saw further expansion to both terminals as well as runway extension. In 1987, Western Airlines merged with Delta Air Lines. Salt Lake would continue to serve as a major airline hub and would continue to grow.
In 1991, the airport opened a new short-term parking garage. The airport opened a new runway in 1995 along with the International Terminal and E concourse for SkyWest Airlines. A new 328 foot tall control tower, new approach control facility, and a new fire station were opened in 1999.
Concourse E was expanded in 2001 for additional gates. SkyWest Airlines opened its new maintenance hangar and training facility the same year. In 2002, Salt Lake welcomed over one million visitors as the city hosted the Winter Olympics.
Recently, the airport has completed upgrading its main access roads and parking facilities in preparation for a new terminal. Additionally, the airport has done several minor upgrades to the current airport terminals and concourses including the expansion of baggage claim facilities.
Salt Lake International Airport (IATA: SLC, ICAO: KSLC) is a major public airport in Utah. It is located in western Salt Lake, approximately four miles from the central business district. It is currently the only airport with commercial airline service in the Wasatch Front and its surrounding counties and is the closest commercial airport for more than 2.5 million people living in the area.[3]
The airport is the second largest hub for Delta Air Lines and Delta Connection carriers SkyWest and ExpressJet with over 350 daily departures, accounting for a 71.36% market share at 2007 year's end. Following Delta and Delta Connection, the remaining of the top five largest carriers serving the airport are Southwest Airlines (13.48 % market share), United Airlines and United Express (3.92% market share), American Airlines (2.77 % market share), and Frontier Airlines (2.14% market share). JetBlue Airways recently surpassed Frontier in number of passengers as the airline continues to expand in Salt Lake.[1]
A total of 22,029,488 passengers flew through Salt Lake International Airport in 2007, representing a 2.19 % increase over 2006.[1] The airport currently ranks as the twenty-second busiest airport in the United States in terms of total passengers.[4] There were 422,010 recorded aircraft operations (takeoffs and landings) in 2007, representing approximately 1,156 operations per day. The airport currently ranks fifteenth busiest airport in the United States and nineteenth in the world based on aircraft operations.[5]
As of March 2008, there were over 450 scheduled airline departures per day to 109 non-stop destinations throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Two new destinations are scheduled to be added in 2008 including the airport’s first Trans-Atlantic route when Delta begins non-stop service to Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris, France in June. The airport currently has non-stop service to all of its top 45 destinations based on the U.S. Department of Transportation origin and destination survey.[4]
Salt Lake International ranked number one among U.S. airports in on-time departures and arrivals in 2006 and through July 2007. Salt Lake International also had the fewest flight cancellations among U.S. airports.
In 1911, a site for an air field was chosen in a location known as Basque Flats, named for Spanish-French sheep herders who worked the fields in the then desolate area of the Salt Lake Valley. A cinder-covered landing strip was created, far better than the small fields at the Utah State Fairpark, which had previously been used by aircraft visiting the city. Great International Aviation Carnival was held the same year and brought aviation pioneers representing Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company and a team representing the Wright Brothers to Salt Lake. World-famous aviator Glenn H. Curtiss brought his newly-invented Seaplane to the carnival, a type of airplane which had never been demonstrated to the public before. Curtiss took off from the nearby Great Salt Lake, awing the 20,000 spectators and making international headlines.[7]
For several years after its creation, the new field was used for primarily for training and aerobatic flights rather than economic purposes. That would change in 1920, when the United States Postal Service began air mail service to Salt Lake. The airport was expanded and hangars and other buildings began to appear. During the same year the airfield was given the name Woodward Field, named for John P. Woodward, a local aviator.[8]
In 1925, the postal service began awarding contracts to private companies. Western Air Express, the first private company to carry U.S. mail, began flying from Salt Lake to Los Angeles via Las Vegas. Less than one year later, Western Air Express would begin flying passengers along the same route. Western Air Express later evolved into Western Airlines, which operated a large hub in Salt Lake. [8]
Charles Lindbergh visited Woodward Field in 1927 drawing many spectators to see The Spirit of St. Louis. During the next few years, the airport would gain an additional runway, and would span over 400 acres (1.6 km²). In 1930, the airport was renamed Salt Lake Municipal Airport.
The first official terminal and airport administration building was built in 1933 at a cost of $52,000. By then, United Airlines had also begun serving Salt Lake as one of its stops between New York and San Francisco.
As air travel became more popular and the United States Air Force established a base at the airport during World War II, a third runway was added. A new terminal was also needed and work began on the west side of the airport to build Terminal 1, which was dedicated in 1960 after seven years of work and a cost of $8 million. In 1968, the airport was given its current name of Salt Lake International Airport.
Once airline deregulation occurred in 1978, the need for hub airports became prevalent. Western Airlines, which had ties to Salt Lake since its inception, naturally chose the airport as one of its hubs and took advantage of its geographical location to connect passengers throughout the country. Terminal 2 was built solely for Western and featured several murals by artist LeConte Stewart.
During the 1980s, the airport saw further expansion to both terminals as well as runway extension. In 1987, Western Airlines merged with Delta Air Lines. Salt Lake would continue to serve as a major airline hub and would continue to grow.
In 1991, the airport opened a new short-term parking garage. The airport opened a new runway in 1995 along with the International Terminal and E concourse for SkyWest Airlines. A new 328 foot tall control tower, new approach control facility, and a new fire station were opened in 1999.
Concourse E was expanded in 2001 for additional gates. SkyWest Airlines opened its new maintenance hangar and training facility the same year. In 2002, Salt Lake welcomed over one million visitors as the city hosted the Winter Olympics.
Recently, the airport has completed upgrading its main access roads and parking facilities in preparation for a new terminal. Additionally, the airport has done several minor upgrades to the current airport terminals and concourses including the expansion of baggage claim facilities.
General Aviation
Despite being the nineteenth busiest airport in the world in terms of aircraft operations[5], the airport still maintains a large general aviation presence. In 2007, 19% of aircraft movements at the airport came from general aviation traffic.[1] This is in contrast to most large airports, which encourage general aviation aircraft to use smaller or less busy airports in order to prevent delays to commercial traffic. The airport is able to effectively handle both commercial and general aviation traffic largely in part to the airport's layout and airspace structure. Nearly all general aviation operations are conducted on the east side of the airport, away from commercial traffic. Additionally, smaller and relatively slower general aviation aircraft arrive and depart the airport in ways which generally do not hinder the normal flow of arriving or departing commercial aircraft.
2007 data shows there are 388 general aviation aircraft based at the airport.[2] The airport has two Fixed Base Operators, both located on the east side of the airport. The airport has facilities for Air Ambulance, Law Enforcement, as well as state and federal government aircraft. Additionally, the airport is home to several flight training facilities, including one operated by Westminster College.
Additional Facilities
The Utah Air National Guard operates a base on the east side of the airport where several, approximated at 8 units, KC-135 refueling aircraft are stationed.
Wingpointe, an 18 hole golf course, is located on the south end of the airport.[11]
Delta Air Lines has a maintenance facility at the airport where heavy-duty maintenance and inspections are performed. Delta also operates a call center for reservations and sales as well as regional corporate offices.
SkyWest Airlines opened a new maintenance and training facility at the airport in 2001 where the company has its largest maintenance base. It is also where training is conducted for pilots, flight attendants, and other employees.
Continental Airlines operates a call center located near the airport.
In addition to the 328 foot tall Air Traffic Control Tower, TRACON is also located on the airport with the Salt Lake Air Route Traffic Control Center located adjacent to the airport. The Salt Lake ARTCC covers the largest geographical area in the continental United States and controls airspace as far north as the Canadian border.[12]
Financial
April 30, 2008 marked a significant date for the airport, as it is now the only airport to be debt free, having retired its remaining bonds, for a payout of nearly US$50 Million. This was done in response to spiking interest rates, but also put the Salt Lake Dept. of Airports in an excellent position for future expansion plans.
Airport Expansion
A revised master plan was released in May 2006 for the airport and is available for the public to view at the airport's airportparkingsaltlake. Future plans call for runway 17/35 to be realigned to more precisely parallel runways 16L/34R and 16R/34L. Plans also call for runway 16L/34R to be lengthened to 15,100 feet. Plans for a fourth parallel runway west of current 16R/34L are also shown but is more than fifteen years away.[14]
In addition to runway reconfigurations, the airport will construct a new terminal and two new concourses. Plans call for a single terminal with an attached concourse consisting of 31 mainline gates and an additional paralleling satellite concourse consisting of 15 mainline gates and 44 regional jet gates. The two concourses would be attached with an underground automated train. The existing terminal and concourses would be demolished and would leave room for additional expansion onto the two new concourses in the future. Other plans call for a new parking garage, expanded cargo facilities, and a UTA TRAX light rail line to downtown.
