Salt Lake City International Airport Explained

Salt Lake City International Airport
Image2-Width:300
Iata:SLC
Icao:KSLC
Faa:SLC
Wmo:72572
Type:Public / Military
Owner-Oper:Salt Lake City Department of Airports
Location:Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Elevation-F:4,227
Elevation-M:1,288
Image Mapsize:200
Image Map Caption:FAA airport diagram
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Zoom:10
Mapframe-Wikidata:yes
R1-Number:16L/34R
R1-Length-F:12,002
R1-Length-M:3,658
R1-Surface:Asphalt
R2-Number:16R/34L
R2-Length-F:12,000
R2-Length-M:3,658
R2-Surface:Concrete
R3-Number:17/35
R3-Length-F:9,596
R3-Length-M:2,925
R3-Surface:Asphalt
R4-Number:14/32
R4-Length-F:4,893
R4-Length-M:1,491
R4-Surface:Asphalt
H1-Number:HB
H1-Length-F:60
H1-Length-M:18
H1-Surface:Asphalt
H3-Number:HF
H3-Length-F:60
H3-Length-M:18
H3-Surface:Asphalt
Stat-Year:2023
Stat1-Header:Passengers
Stat1-Data:26,952,754
Stat2-Header:Aircraft movements
Stat2-Data:319,060
Stat3-Header:Cargo
Stat3-Data:357,871,690 lbs.
Footnotes:Source: Salt Lake City International Airport[1]

Salt Lake City International Airport is a joint civil-military international airport located about 4miles west of Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The airport, along with the much smaller Provo Municipal Airport (PVU) and Ogden–Hinckley Airport (OGD) are the closest commercial airports for more than 3 million people[2] and is within a 30-minute drive of nearly 1.3 million jobs.[3] The airport serves as a hub for Delta Air Lines and is a major gateway to the Intermountain West and West Coast. The airport sees 343 scheduled nonstop airline departures per day to 93 cities in North America and Europe.[4] It is by far the busiest airport in Utah.

Salt Lake City International Airport continues to rank high for on-time departures/arrivals and the fewest flight cancellations among major US airports. The airport ranked first for on-time departures and arrivals and first for the percentage of cancellations as of April 2017.[5] The airport is owned by the City of Salt Lake City and is administered by the municipal Department of Airports.[6]

History

1900 to 1940

In 1911, a site for an air field was chosen on Basque Flats, named for Spanish-French sheep herders who worked the fields in the then-desolate area of the Salt Lake Valley, where a cinder-covered landing was subsequently created. The 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 City. World-famous aviator Glenn H. Curtiss brought his newly invented Seaplane to the carnival, a type of airplane that had never been demonstrated to the public. Curtiss took off from the nearby Great Salt Lake, awing the 20,000 spectators and making international headlines.[7]

For several years, the new field was used mainly for training and aerobatic flights. That would change in 1920 when the United States Postal Service (USPS) began air mail service to Salt Lake City. The city bought a 100-acre tract around Basque Flats for $4,000 and built a field, hangar and other facilities. In the same year, the airfield was given the name Woodward Field, named for John P. Woodward, a local aviator. The first transcontinental air mail flight landed at Woodward Field on September 8.[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 City to Los Angeles via Las Vegas. Less than a year later, Western Air Express would begin flying passengers along the same route. Western Air Express later became Western Airlines, which had a large hub in Salt Lake City.[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 another runway and would span over 400acres. In 1930 the airport was renamed Salt Lake City Municipal Airport.[9]

The first terminal and airport administration building was built in 1933 at a cost of $52,000. By then, United Airlines had begun serving Salt Lake City on flights between New York City and San Francisco.[9] [10]

As air travel became more popular and the United States Army Air Forces established a base at the airport during World War II, a third runway was added (Runway diagram for 1955). The April 1957 Official Airline Guide (now OAG) shows 42 weekday departures: 18 on Western, 17 United and 7 Frontier. United had flown nonstop to Chicago since 1950, but nonstop service to New York did not start until 1968. The first jets were United 720s in September 1960.

1960 terminal

A new terminal was needed and work began on the west side of the airport on Terminal 1, designed by Brazier Montmorency Hayes & Talbot and dedicated in 1960 after seven years of work and a cost of $8 million.[11] In 1968, the airport became Salt Lake City International Airport[12] when a non-stop route to Calgary, Canada was awarded to Western Airlines.

After airline deregulation in 1978, hub airports appeared. Western Airlines, with ties to Salt Lake City since its inception, increased service into hub status on May 1, 1982.

Terminal 2 was designed by Montmorency Hayes & Talbot and built solely for Western and had several murals by artist LeConte Stewart.[13]

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 City would continue to be a major airline hub for Delta.

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, which was designed by Gensler.[14] A new 328adj=midNaNadj=mid control tower, new approach control facility, and a new fire station were opened in 1999.

In 2001, Concourse E was expanded for additional gates and SkyWest Airlines opened its new maintenance hangar and training facility. In 2002, the airport saw heavy crowds as Salt Lake City welcomed over one million visitors for the Winter Olympics.

In June 2008, Delta Air Lines began service to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris on a Boeing 767. This was the airport's first transatlantic route.[15] Delta also added the first flight from Salt Lake City to Asia, a link to Tokyo's Narita Airport, the following June. The service aboard Airbus A330s resulted from Delta's merger with Northwest Airlines, which had a hub at Narita.[16] [17] Later that year, Delta made it seasonal.[18] The airline stopped flying to Tokyo in October 2011.[19] [20]

New terminal

The Airport Redevelopment Program broke ground in 2014, initiating construction of the New SLC terminal complex.[21] [22] This began the process of replacing the existing, aging facilities with all new facilities, including a rental car center, a parking garage, a terminal with two linear concourses (similar to Atlanta, Denver and Washington–Dulles) with 93 gates, two tunnels, and an elevated roadway. The construction was funded by airport funds, passenger and customer facility charges, bonds, and federal grants.[23]

The Airport opened Phase 1 of the new terminal in 2020.[24] This first phase consisted of the western portion of concourse A with 25 gates, and the western portion of Concourse B with 21 gates. The concourses are connected by a mid-field underground tunnel. After Concourse B opened, the old terminals and concourses were demolished, and then construction on concourses A and B east began.[25] With the opening of the new airport, Delta Air Lines opened a brand new Sky Club in concourse A, which at the time was the largest in their network.[24] The original plan called for phase 2 to be completed by December 2024.[26] The east portion of concourse A is still considered phase 2, and opened in increments through 2023, with the final 13 gates opening on October 31, 2023.[27] The completion of the central tunnel was moved to phase 3 of the rebuild and is scheduled to open in October 2024.[28] Phase 3 will also include an additional Delta Sky Club, as well as the reinstallation of the floor world map that was featured in the former terminal.[29] Phase 4 will include the airport's first non-Delta club, a United Airlines club that will be on the far east end of concourse B.[30]

The easternmost gates of concourse B are now part of a fourth phase to be completed in 2027, and the plans now call for adding a tram to the central tunnel when a future concourse C is eventually built.[28] [31] All told, phase 2 through phase 4 are planned to add 48 new gates to the airport.[31]

Facilities

The airport covers 7700acres and has four runways.[32] The runways are generally oriented in a NNW/SSE magnetic direction due to consistent prevailing winds in this direction.

Terminal

SLC has a single terminal with two concourses connected by an underground tunnel for a total of 68 gates. There is a single security check point with 16 lanes and eight baggage carousels.[33]

Ground transportation

The airport is accessible from I-80 at exit 115 B or from I-215 at exits 22 and 22 B, with the GA terminal accessible from I-215 exit 23. The airport can also be accessed from North Temple Street and Utah State Route 154 (Bangerter Highway), both of which terminate and merge into the airport's Terminal Drive.

Rail and bus services that connect the surrounding region to Salt Lake City International Airport include TRAX light rail service from the Airport station, UTA bus service (via TRAX), and FrontRunner commuter rail (via TRAX).

Ground transportation is available from the airport to ski resorts and locations throughout Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, Utah, and Summit counties. Many Salt Lake taxis, limousines, and shuttles accommodate ski equipment.

General aviation

Despite being the 28th busiest airport in the world in terms of aircraft operations,[35] the airport still maintains a large general aviation presence. In 2008, 19% of aircraft movements at the airport came from general aviation traffic.[36] 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 that generally do not hinder the normal flow of arriving or departing commercial aircraft.

2021 data shows that there were 337 general aviation aircraft based at the airport.[37] The airport has three fixed-base operators; Signature Flight Support, Atlantic Aviation, and Menzies Aviation 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.

Military operations

The Utah Air National Guard operates what was previously named the Salt Lake City Air National Guard Base on the east side of the airport. In November 2014, the installation was renamed the Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base after Brigadier General Roland R. Wright, USAF (Ret).[38]

The base occupies approximately 140 acres as a U.S. Government cantonment area leased from the airport. In addition to flight line, the installation comprises 65 buildings: 3 services, 13 administrative, and 47 industrial. There are 255 full-time Air Reserve Technician and Active Guard and Reserve personnel assigned, augmented by 1,343 part-time traditional air national guardsmen. The host wing for the installation is the 151st Wing (151 WG), an Air Mobility Command (AMC)-gained unit operating the KC-135R Stratotanker.

Airlines and destinations

Cargo

Statistics

Annual traffic

SLC Airport Annual Passengers
(2007-Present)[39] ! Year! Passengers! Year! Passengers
200722,045,333201724,199,351
200820,790,400201825,554,244
200920,432,218201926,808,014
201020,901,533202012,559,026
201120,389,474202122,378,989
201220,102,078202225,752,783
201320,186,474202326,952,754
201421,141,610202414,237,246(YTD)
201522,141,0262025
201623,155,5272026

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from SLC
(May 2023 – April 2024)
[40]
RankAirportPassengersCarriers
1Denver, Colorado878,000Delta, Frontier, Southwest, United
2Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona662,000American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest
3Los Angeles, California657,000Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, United
4Las Vegas, Nevada611,000Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit
5Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas542,000American, Delta, Frontier
6Atlanta, Georgia535,000Delta, Frontier
7Seattle/Tacoma, Washington505,000Alaska, Delta
8Orlando, Florida359,000Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit
10San Diego, California334,000Delta, JetBlue
10Chicago-O'Hare, Illinois333,000American, Delta, United
Busiest international routes from SLC
(April 2023 – March 2024)
[41]
RankAirportPassengersCarriers
1 Amsterdam, Netherlands215,786Delta, KLM
2 Paris–Charles de Gaulle, France168,591Delta
3 Cancún, Mexico148,947Delta
4 San José del Cabo, Mexico126,776Delta
5 London–Heathrow, United Kingdom119,691Delta
6 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico89,029Delta
7 Mexico City, Mexico87,390Delta
8 Calgary, Canada86,761Delta Connection
9 Vancouver, Canada71,581Delta, Delta Connection
10 Toronto, Canada71,339Air Canada, Delta

Airline market share

+Airline market share
(July 2023 - June 2024)[42]
Rank Carrier Passengers Share
1 Delta Air Lines19,542,013 69.77%
2 Southwest Airlines3,003,675 10.72%
3 United Airlines1,483,897 5.30%
4 American Airlines1,469,938 5.25%
5 Frontier Airlines733,342 2.62%
6 Other Airlines1,777,073 6.34%

Accidents and incidents

In popular culture

In the 1974 film Airport 1975, Captain Alan Murdock (played by Charlton Heston) lands a crippled Boeing 747 at SLC which was involved in a midair collision with a Beechcraft Baron which crashed into the cockpit of the 747, killing most of the flight crew. After landing, the aircraft exited the runway but eventually came to a stop. The movie ends with an emergency evacuation of all passengers and crew at the airport. A good portion of the movie was filmed on location at SLC.

Other notable films with scenes shot on location at SLC:

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: SLC Airport 2023 Air Traffic Statistics . January 2024 . Salt Lake City International Airport . February 1, 2024.
  2. https://www.census.gov 2020 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau
  3. Utah Continuous Airport System Plan – Executive Summary. Utah Department of Transportation. Salt Lake City. September 30, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213748/http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=947118327175611311. October 4, 2013. live.
  4. Web site: SLC Fast Facts. Salt Lake City Department of Airports. February 2, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20151030083302/http://www.slcairport.com/slc-fast-facts.asp. October 30, 2015. live.
  5. Web site: Salt Lake City, UT: Salt Lake City International (SLC). Bureau of Transportation Statistics, United States Department of Transportation. January 24, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20120509040247/http://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?pn=1&Airport=SLC. May 9, 2012. live.
  6. Web site: Department of Airports 2008–2009 budget . Salt Lake City Corporation . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110609175839/http://www.slcgov.com/finance/2009budget/airport.pdf . June 9, 2011 .
  7. News: Curtiss Flies at Salt Lake. The New York Times. New York City. April 9, 1911. March 4, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20121111101053/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9806E4DE1031E233A2575AC0A9629C946096D6CF. November 11, 2012. live.
  8. News: Carma. Wadley. 100 years of Flight. Deseret News. Deseret Digital Media. Salt Lake City. December 4, 2003. March 4, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20050104180350/http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,565036225,00.html. January 4, 2005. live.
  9. Web site: Airport History. Salt Lake City Department of Airports. April 16, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130413083002/http://www.slcairport.com/airport-history.asp. April 13, 2013. live.
  10. Web site: Berryman. Marvin E. A History of United Airlines. The United Airlines Historical Foundation. April 16, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130903063847/http://www.uahf.org/united_history_01.asp. September 3, 2013. live.
  11. Web site: J. Willard Marriott Digital Library. content.lib.utah.edu. October 24, 2019. https://archive.today/20121211125336/http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/UU_EAD&CISOPTR=3039. December 11, 2012. live.
  12. Web site: Airport History . Salt Lake City International Airport . January 29, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140202232739/http://www.slcairport.com/airport-history.asp . February 2, 2014 . live .
  13. News: SL Airport Growing But How?. Robert D.. Mullins. Joe. Costanzo. Deseret News. August 12, 1977. June 16, 2012.
  14. Web site: Salt Lake City International Airport Commuter Terminal and International Arrivals Building. GPA ARCHITECTS, INC.. September 30, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213218/http://www.gpaarch.com/Projects/GPA-Architects-Projects-Salt-Lake-City-Airport-Commuter-Terminal.html. October 4, 2013. live.
  15. News: Bon voyage — Delta begins nonstop flights from Salt Lake to Paris . Deseret News . 2008-06-03 . 6 August 2023 . Hancock, Laura.
  16. News: Hancock. Laura. Delta begins nonstop flights between Tokyo, Salt Lake. April 16, 2013. Deseret News. Deseret Digital Media. Salt Lake City. June 4, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215244/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705308282/Delta-begins-nonstop-flights-between-Tokyo-Salt-Lake.html?pg=all. October 4, 2013. live.
  17. News: Delta looks west, adds nonstop flight to Tokyo . Deseret News . 2008-11-13 . 6 August 2023 . Hancock, Laura.
  18. News: Beebe. Paul. Delta to resume SLC-to-Tokyo route. April 16, 2013. The Salt Lake Tribune. MediaNews Group. Salt Lake City. May 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20131004222540/http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_15040853. October 4, 2013. dead.
  19. News: Utah tourism officials hope to see more Chinese visitors . Deseret News . 2011-04-17 . 6 August 2023 . Daley . John . Page . Jared.
  20. News: Alaska Air to begin SLC-Seattle flights in April . The Salt Lake Tribune . 2012-11-02 . 6 August 2023 . Beebe, Paul.
  21. Web site: Salt Lake City Airport Officially Transitions Into Its New Facility . 2022-04-07 . www.enr.com . en.
  22. Web site: The New SLC Cleared for Takeoff . SLC Airport . https://web.archive.org/web/20200828035627/https://slcairport.com/assets/pdfDocuments/The-New-SLC/The-New-SLC-Cleared-for-Takeoff.pdf . 22 September 2020. August 28, 2020 .
  23. Web site: The New SLC Fact Sheet . SLC Airport . 22 September 2020.
  24. Web site: Pallini . Thomas . Salt Lake City airport just opened a massive new terminal where passengers journey through a massive canyon-themed art installation to get to their gate – see inside . 2022-04-07 . Business Insider . en-US.
  25. Web site: The New SLC . 8 February 2020.
  26. Web site: McKellar . Katie . Pandemic could shorten Salt Lake airport rebuild by 2 years, save $300M . Deseret News . 5 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200602130500/https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/5/25/21267586/salt-lake-city-international-airport-coronavirus-rebuild-construction-covid-19-save-millions . 2 June 2020 . en . 25 May 2020 . live.
  27. Web site: Porter . Melanie . New restaurants, gates conclude Concourse A construction at SLC airport . FOX 13 News Utah (KSTU) . 2023-10-31 . 2023-10-31.
  28. Web site: New tunnel at SLC airport will make walk between concourses shorter, construction underway . FOX 13 News Utah (KSTU) . 2022-08-02 . 2023-05-10.
  29. Web site: Williams . Carter . Salt Lake City airport unveils 12 new concessions as its growth continues . KSL.com . 2023-06-20 . 2023-06-20.
  30. News: Finally, non-Delta customers will get a club at SLC airport . The Salt Lake Tribune . 2024-03-21 . 25 June 2024 . Apgar, Blake.
  31. Web site: Williams . Carter . Why the Salt Lake City airport is seeking up to $600M in new bonds this year . KSL.com . 2023-05-10 . 2023-05-10.
  32. Web site: SLC airport data at skyvector.com. July 13, 2024.
  33. Web site: Airport Terminal Map Salt Lake City International Airport . 26 October 2020.
  34. News: Winterton . Scott G . A 'river' tunnel. More gates. Here's what's next for Salt Lake's new airport . 28 May 2021 . Deseret News . 26 May 2021.
  35. [World's busiest airports by traffic movements]
  36. Web site: 2008 Salt Lake City International Airport Statistics. Salt Lake City Department of Airports. February 24, 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090304130330/http://www.slcairport.com/pdf/airstats/summary/2008.pdf. March 4, 2009.
  37. , effective July 11, 2024.
  38. Web site: Utah Air National Guard Base renamed to honor 95-year-old hometown hero. January 21, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150105090920/http://www.151arw.ang.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123431992. January 5, 2015. dead.
  39. Web site: SLC Airport Annual Passenger Data 2007-Present. slcairport.com. June 8, 2024.
  40. Web site: Salt Lake City, UT: Salt Lake City International (SLC). Bureau of Transportation Statistics, United States Department of Transportation. June 21, 2024.
  41. Web site: U.S. International Passenger Statistics. United States Department of Transportation. August 1, 2024. live.
  42. Web site: Air Traffic Statistics Salt Lake City International Airport. 2023-11-14. slcairport.com.
  43. Web site: NTSB Identification: DCA90MA002 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20151017192952/https://www.ntsb.gov/about/employment/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001213X29575&key=1&queryId=cb0a00d5-92cb-4981-9c60-26c053ecd6cc&pgno=7&pgsize=50 . October 17, 2015 .
  44. News: Air France plane diverted to SLC after bomb threat is cleared to leave for Paris. Alberty. Erin. November 18, 2015. The Salt Lake Tribune. May 27, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160625032110/http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=7495532&itype=storyID. June 25, 2016. live.
  45. Web site: Air France plane — diverted to SLC after bomb threat — is cleared to leave for Paris . August 9, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180809153242/http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=3193848&itype=CMSID . August 9, 2018 . live .
  46. Web site: ASN Aircraft accident Cessna 525 CitationJet N711BX Cedar Fort, UT .
  47. News: Azmi . Haroun . NBA team's charter plane lost an engine after it struck a flock of birds and had to make an emergency landing . MSN . 2021-03-30.
  48. News: Man dies after crawling into plane engine at Salt Lake City Airport, officials say . CBS . 2024-01-02. Aliza. Chasan.
  49. News: Utah man dies in airplane engine at Salt Lake City airport. USA Today. January 2, 2024. Eric. Lagatta.