Sacramento International Airport History
What is presently known as Sacramento International Airport opened October 21, 1967 as Sacramento Metropolitan Airport. Prior to this date, all commercial airline flights for the Sacramento region were handled at the site of Sacramento Executive Airport, then known as Sacramento Municipal Airport. Upon its opening in 1967, Sacramento Metropolitan Airport was the first public use airport west of the Mississippi that had been built completely from the ground up.
In 1957, the proposed construction of Sacramento Metropolitan Airport and the purchase of nearly 6,000 acres north of downtown Sacramento was considered extravagant, risky, based on unrealistic passenger expectations, and poorly located. The skeptics were wrong. The anticipated 750,000 annual passengers that seemed so unrealistic in the late 1950's surpassed the one million passenger mark during the airport's first year of operation. Additionally, the 6,000 acres guaranteed that the airport would have room to grow as the Sacramento region was developed. Pacific, Delta, United, Western, and West Coast were the five airlines that initially served the airport. Over the passing years, PSA was acquired by USAir and Western was acquired by Delta. Pacific and West Coast also eventually became Northwest.
The 1980's
The 1980's ushered in an era of construction and growth. Construction during this time included: in-flight catering facility (1980), FAA Flight Inspection Field Office (1985), second air cargo facility (1985), and East Runway (1987). America West, Continental, Morris Air, and American Eagle Airlines also joined the carriers at Sacramento Metropolitan Airport during this time.
The 1990's
The 1990's were a period of significant change. The consolidated rental car terminal and Terminal A opened and passenger traffic continued to grow. Sacramento Metropolitan also received a new name, Sacramento International Airport, and a new logo just before the groundbreaking ceremony for Terminal A in 1996.
The consolidated rental car terminal was the first of its kind in the nation. The terminal enabled all rental car customers to have a single point of access that could be reached via a single shuttle service. This eliminated the need for numerous single-vendor busses that both added to the congestion at the terminal curbs and negatively impacted air quality.
Technology also changed how the airport distributed information to its customers. The Sacramento County Airport System launched its first Web site in April of 1997.
Airline service also experienced change during this time. Southwest (1991) Alaska (1993), Horizon (1993), and TWA (1994) were added to the list of carriers serving Sacramento. American Eagle, Continental, USAir, and Continental Airlines all departed Sacramento Metro in 1993, but the gates were quickly swallowed up by the rapidly growing Southwest and Alaska Airlines.
The New Millennium
The new millennium ushered in even more changes and a tragedy that would forever change airport security. Security procedures at Sacramento International Airport as well as at airports around the country were completely changed after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The newly-formed Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration made sweeping changes to improve security in each of the nation's commercial airports in an effort to thwart the actions of potential terrorists.
However, September 11 did not deter growth at Sacramento International Airport which was contrary to the national trend. Four new airlines were added to Sacramento International, including the desired first international carrier. Continental Airlines returned to Sacramento International in 2000 with initially two daily nonstop flights to Houston. Frontier (2002), Mexicana (2002), Hawaiian (2002), and Aloha Airlines (2003) were also added to the impressive list of carriers already at Sacramento International. Mexicana Airlines' arrival also signified Sacramento International's entry into international departures and arrivals and necessitated the completion of the International Arrivals Building for the federal inspection services prior to the first international arrival at Sacramento International Airport.
The Terminal A Parking Garage opened September 23, 2004 to rave reviews. The six-story structure enabled passengers to enjoy covered parking, a short walk to the terminal, interesting art ("Flying Gardens" by Dennis Oppenheim and "Flying Carpet" by Seyed Alavi), and the debut of the Gold Card parking program.
As we look toward the future, we look forward to the completion of the Master Plan which will be a guide to future development at Sacramento International Airport. Additional growth and opportunities to improve our customer service and operations are expected in the future.
