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 and 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 43 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, more comfortable and safer. 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 an FAA Air Traffic Control Tower and a baggage claim area.
Just six years later and San Antonio International Airport would see its first major expansion project get underway, with the addition of east and west wings built on to Terminal 2. Then 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 represented a perfect opportunity to showcase the progress which had been made at 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 entire city 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 after that and 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 Two. 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. Just two years later, in 1986, and the expansion would continue with a new 221-foot FAA Air Traffic Control Tower at a new location. Of course all of this expansion was being driven by a massive increase in demand. 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’s also the time when Americans watched a national tragedy unfold right before their eyes. On January 28, 1986 seven American astronauts were killed in the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. “Challenger Plaza,” located toward the entrance of the airport was designed to pay tribute to the heroes we lost that day, El Onizuka, Mike Smith, Christa McAuliffe, Dick Scobee, Greg Jarvis, Ron McNair and Judy Resnik.
By 1994 it was time to do some long-term planning again. A second Airport Master Plan Study would look at the demands the airport would face well into the 21st century. Since that time San Antonio International has taken a number of important steps in order to keep up with the needs of its passengers. A $33 million long-term parking expansion project brought the total inventory of short and long-term spaces to just over 6,000 and an additional 3,000 spaces were added in 2008. An award-winning “Terminal Renovation and Concession Redevelopment Plan” has been put into place and San Antonio International has opened up the 281 North Connector which provides direct elevated access from US 281 North into the terminal and parking facilities. And perhaps the biggest news of all, a new terminal is set to be built which will eventually replace the aging Terminal Two. The move will accomplish another goal as well. A third Terminal, which will be expandable by up to eleven additional gates, will be built as passenger growth occurs over the next ten years.
And if the past is any indication, that passenger growth will be dramatic. San Antonio International closed out the Century in 1999 by boarding more than three-and-a-half million passengers. That means since 1966 San Antonio International has helped more than 80 million people reach their destination via the sky. And officials with San Antonio International continue to aggressively pursue even more options and services for the future. It’s already been an incredible journey from 1941 to the present and in our minds, we’re just getting started!
Click here to see a video on the history of San Antonio International Aiport