General Information
San Francisco International Airport (IATA Code: SFO; ICAO Code: KSFO; FAA Code: SFO) is the Bay Area’s largest airport serving non-stop flights that cover more than 50 cities all around the world on more than 45 international airline carriers. The airport is a major transportation hub within the United States as well as it serves 12 domestic airlines that offer flights between 86 cities in the country.
The airport is located in San Mateo County of California, near the cities San Bruno and Millbrae, and at a distance of 13 miles (21 km) from San Francisco. It is one of the largest and the second busiest airport in California after LAX. SFO serves as a major gateway for transatlantic flights to Europe and Asia, primarily operated by United Airlines.
Capacity
In 2017 San Francisco International Airport hosted a record high number of passengers amounting to 55.8 million. The interesting fact is that since 2011 the passenger intake growth has been around 36%, while the number of flights to and from the airport grew only by 14%, the effect which SFO attributes to its efforts encouraging airline carriers to increase their capacity of passenger wherever and whenever possible.
The construction of SFO began in the early 20s of the past century, and by the year 1927, it already hosted its first flight. Today it is the 24thbusiest airport in the world and seventh in the United States.
Economic Impact
The economic impact of the San Francisco international airport is essential for the state of California and the United States, in general. In the fiscal year of 2016-2017, the airport accounted for $8.4 billion in business activity while being an employer for more than 42 000 people. The direct and indirect impact of the airport in job creation and growth accounts for more than 300 000 jobs all around the state.
In 2018 (one of the busiest in the airport’s history), there were 470 164 aircraft operations per day at SFO, which is around 1287 per day. 87% of the flights were scheduled commercial airliners.