History of San Antonio International Airport 

    It all started in 1941 when the City of San Antonio purchased 1,200 acres of undeveloped land north of the city limits for a project to be called "San Antonio Municipal Airport". Now, more than six decades later the site has more than doubled in size to 2,600 acres and the name is San Antonio International Airport (SAT), with non-stop flights offered to more that 30 different domestic and international markets. 

    If the 1940's were the "launching pad" for San Antonio International Airport then the fifties were most definitely the time when the airport began to soar. In 1951, construction began on a new terminal designed to bring the airport up to modern standards. It was a booming time for aviation in America with aircraft quickly becoming larger, faster, safer and more comfortable. That new terminal (now called Terminal 2) was finished in 1953 and is still in operation today. Also completed that year as part of the new terminal structure, was a FAA Air Traffic Control Tower and a baggage claim area.

   Just six years later, San Antonio International Airport's first major expansion project got underway, with the addition of east and west wings built onto Terminal 2. In 1968, an even more ambitious project was finished. San Antonians knew that the '68 World's Fair was going to bring a huge influx of visitors to the "Alamo City" and they knew that this presented a perfect opportunity to showcase the progress which had been made at that San Antonio International Airport. So before the crowds began to arrive, a satellite area with eight jet-bridge gates was unveiled along with brand new hold-rooms to accommodate waiting passengers. By most accounts, the '68 World's Fair marked a major turning point for the City of San Antonio and for the airport as well. Airport records show that by the end of the decade, more than 848,000 passengers had boarded their plane at San Antonio International.

   Just a short seven years later, city leaders were looking well beyond the next event and focusing on the next century. In 1975, City Council members adopted an Airport Master Plan for the orderly development of airport facilities through the year 2000. It would include a 1,300 space tri-level parking garage but the biggest addition would be found just fifty yards to the east of Terminal 2. A new 360,000 square-foot terminal (Terminal 1) was opened to the public in 1984 and it brought the airport's capacity up to an impressive 27 gates. Two years later, the expansion continued with a new 221-foot FAA Air Traffic Control Tower at a new location. Less than two decades after the pivotal World's Fair in 1968 and the number of boardings at San Antonio International had already surpassed the two-million mark.

   But unfortunately 1986 is remembered for something other than just expansion and progress. It is also remembered for a time of loss. On January 28, 1986, Americans watched a national tragedy unfold right before their eyes when seven American astronauts were killed in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. "Challenger Plaza," is located toward the entrance of the airport and was designed to pay tribute to the heroes lost that day, El Onizuka, Mike Smith, Christa McAuliffe, Dick Scobee, Greg Jarvis, Ron McNair and Judy Resnik.

   By 1994, a second Airport Master Plan Study was created that would address the demands the airport well into the 21st century. San Antonio International has taken a number of important steps to keep up with the needs of its passengers. A $44 million long-term parking expansion project brought the total inventory of parking spaces to just over 9000. An award-winning "Terminal Renovation and Concession Redevelopment Plan" has been put into place and San Antonio International has opened up a 281 North Connector which provides direct elevated access from US 281 North directly into the terminal and parking facilities. And perhaps the biggest news of all, a new terminal facility is currently being built which will eventually replace the aging Terminal 2. A third Terminal, which will be expandable by up to eleven additional gates, will be built as passenger growth occurs over the next 10 years.

    San Antonio International closed out the century in 1999 by boarding more than three-and-a-half million passengers. Today, the airport handles more that eight million passengers a year. Officials with San Antonio International continue to aggressively pursue options and services for the future. It has already been an incredible journey from 1941 to the present and in our minds, we?re just getting started!

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