History
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. 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 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.
For several years after its creation, the new field was used 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 City. 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.
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 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 City.
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 City 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 City 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. The April 1957 OAG shows 42 weekday departures: 18 on Western, 17 United and 7 Frontier. A new terminal was needed and work began on the west side of the airport to build Terminal 1, which was designed by Brazier Montmorency Hayes & Talbot and 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 City International Airport, when non-stop service to Calgary, Canada was awarded to Western Airlines.
Once airline deregulation occurred in 1978, the need for hub airports became prevalent. Western Airlines, which had ties to Salt Lake City 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 designed by Montmorency Hayes & Talbot and 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 City 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, which was designed by Gensler. A new 328-foot-tall (100 m) 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 during the same year. In 2002, the airport saw heavy crowds as Salt Lake City welcomed over one million visitors for 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 completed several minor upgrades to the current airport terminals and concourses including the expansion of baggage claim facilities.
Read more about this topic: Salt Lake City International Airport
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