Before there was an airport pilots used the bay area for air shows. In January,1911 at the San Francisco Airshow a 6 pound bomb was dropped from a plane to prove thatairplanes could be used for military purposes. Another experiment, a pilot landed on and took off from the Cruiser Pennsylvania , proving that a land-based aircraft could land and take off from a naval vessel. In 1913 the Bay Area saw the flight of the first twin-engine aircraft built in the U.S. The need to expand mail routes to the Pacific and provide a
central site for aviation activity resulted in a decision to built an airport. The board of Supervisors bought the Mills Estate and Mills Field Municipal Airport of San Francisco was dedicated on May 7, 1927 and opened for business on June 7, 1927. During World War II the airport was used for military operations. After the war the airport continued to grow and became the San Francisco International Airport on
August 27, 1954.
Management The airport is a public utility owned and operated by the
citizens of San Francisco through an Airports Commission.
Land 5,171 acres
Runways 4 - 11,870Õ; 10,600Õ; 9,500Õ 7,000Õ
Terminals 3 with 80 gates
Flights 424,087 (including commercial, military and general aviation carriers). Direct service to 111 U.S. Cities.
Provides service to 60 international destinations
Carriers 55 (including 29 international carriers)
Passengers 35,374,403
Cargo 702,415 metric tons (including mail)
San Francisco (conÕt)
Parking 6,379 spaces
Employment Over 28,000 airport employees
