Jazmin Li
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a large civil-military airport located in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Covering 3,400 acres of land, it is Arizona's largest and busiest airport, serving as a hub for major airlines such as American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. With 117 active aircraft gates across two terminals, the airport accommodates a significant volume of air traffic, ranking as the 8th busiest airport in the United States and 22nd busiest worldwide in 2021. Phoenix Sky Harbor's vast size and operational capacity contribute to its recognition as one of the leading airports in the country.
What You'll Learn
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is one of the largest airports in the US
The airport covers 3,400 acres (14 km2) of land and has three runways. The longest runway measures 11,489 ft (3,502 m) in length. Phoenix Sky Harbor has two terminals with 117 active aircraft gates in total. Terminal 4 is the largest, with 86 gates, followed by Terminal 3, which has 25 gates.
The airport serves as a hub for several major airlines, including American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Frontier Airlines. It also has a military presence, housing the 161st Air Refueling Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard.
Phoenix Sky Harbor has been recognised for its reliability, with some of the fewest flight cancellations, and efficient taxi-out times. In 2023, the Wall Street Journal ranked it as the best big airport in the US, considering factors such as reliability, value, and convenience.
The airport continues to expand and improve its infrastructure, with recent investments in a new taxiway and plans for a new terminal to accommodate growing passenger demand.
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It is Arizona's largest and busiest airport
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is Arizona's largest and busiest airport. It is also one of the largest commercial airports in the United States, ranking 8th busiest in the country and 22nd busiest in the world in 2021. The airport covers 3,400 acres of land and has 117 active aircraft gates across two terminals. Terminal 4 is the largest, with 86 gates, while Terminal 3 contains 25 gates.
Phoenix Sky Harbor offers flights to 162 destinations and serves as a hub for several major airlines, including American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. The airport accommodates a wide range of aircraft, including large planes such as the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A380.
The airport is conveniently located just 3 miles east of downtown Phoenix and is easily accessible by road, with nearby Interstate 10 and state routes 143 and 202 providing connections to the surrounding areas. The airport also has its own automated people-mover system, the PHX Sky Train, which connects passengers to the nearby light rail station and the East Economy Parking Lot.
In addition to its size and busy schedule, Phoenix Sky Harbor has been recognised for its reliability and convenience. It has been ranked highly for having few flight cancellations and efficient taxi-out times. The airport also scored well on domestic airfare prices and ride-sharing costs to the downtown area.
With its extensive facilities, convenient location, and efficient operations, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport stands as Arizona's largest and busiest aviation gateway, catering to millions of passengers each year.
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The airport covers 3,400 acres of land
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport covers 3,400 acres of land. That's the equivalent of 14 square kilometres. To put that into context, the airport is larger than the entire country of Monaco, which covers just 2.02 square kilometres.
The airport is located 3 miles (4.8km) east of downtown Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona. It is Arizona's largest and busiest airport, and one of the biggest commercial airports in the United States. In 2021, it was the 8th busiest airport in the US and the 22nd busiest in the world.
Phoenix Sky Harbor first opened in 1928 and was founded by J. Parker Van Zandt, the owner of Scenic Airways. Van Zandt purchased 278 acres of farmland for Scenic's winter operations and immediately began constructing a hangar and runway. The airport changed hands several times over the following years and was purchased by the city of Phoenix in 1935 for $100,000.
Today, Phoenix Sky Harbor has two terminals, 117 active aircraft gates, and three parallel concrete runways. The airport's control tower stands at 326 feet tall and is one of the tallest in North America. The airport also boasts an extensive art collection, including a mural composed of 52 different materials and a Phoenix sculpture made from vintage toys.
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It has 117 active aircraft gates in two terminals
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a large airport with an extensive range of facilities and services. The airport has 117 active aircraft gates across two terminals, Terminal 3 and Terminal 4. Terminal 3 contains 25 gates and is used by most domestic or pre-cleared arrivals, including Frontier Airlines and Alaska Airlines. International carriers, American and Southwest, operate from Terminal 4, which contains 92 gates.
Terminal 4 is the largest and busiest of the two terminals, with 86 gates divided into seven satellite concourses connected behind security. Terminal 4 is named after former Arizona Senator and 1964 Presidential candidate, Barry M. Goldwater. The terminal features a new customs facility and is designed to have net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, making it an environmentally friendly structure.
The airport's other two terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, have been decommissioned, with the designations "retired" by the airport administration. The closure of Terminal 2 allowed for the construction of concrete stands for aircraft, accessible by bus from the other terminals. The final flight for Terminal 2 was accepted in February 2020, and it was demolished in early 2021.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is Arizona's largest and busiest airport. It is located 3 miles (4.8 km) east of downtown Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The airport serves as a hub for several major airlines and was ranked as the best big airport in the country by the Wall Street Journal in 2023, based on factors such as reliability, value, and convenience.
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Phoenix Sky Harbor was ranked the best big airport in the US in 2023
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has been ranked the best big airport in the US for 2023 by the Wall Street Journal. The airport, located 3 miles (4.8 km) east of downtown Phoenix, is Arizona's largest and busiest airport and was the 8th busiest airport in the US and 22nd busiest in the world in 2021.
The Wall Street Journal's ranking scored large and mid-size airports across the country on 30 measures focused on reliability, value, and convenience, with customer feedback also factored in. Phoenix Sky Harbor scored highly on several reliability measures, including the average taxi time out of the airport (14 minutes, 56 seconds) and into the airport (7 minutes, 6 seconds). The airport also ranked among those with the fewest average departure and arrival delays and the fewest flight cancellations, which the Wall Street Journal attributed to Phoenix's mild year-round weather.
In addition, Phoenix Sky Harbor offered one of the least expensive average domestic round-trip airfares in the nation at $387. The airport was also ranked the best for most convenient Uber trips to the city centre, with the close distance of just 5.5 miles between the airport and downtown Phoenix also a factor.
However, the airport scored poorly in the car rental rating and for its restaurants and bars. Despite the high ranking, the airport is working to improve its wait times, with a new taxiway being built with $194 million in federal funding. The airport is also continuing to bolster its dining availability, with six new restaurants opening in Terminal 4 in 2023, including celebrity chef Bobby Flay's Bobby's Burgers.
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Frequently asked questions
The airport covers 3,400 acres (14 km2) at an elevation of 1,135 ft (346 m).
Phoenix Airport currently has two terminals, Terminal 3 and Terminal 4. Terminal 2 was decommissioned and demolished in 2021.
Terminal 3 contains 25 gates, while Terminal 4 is the largest and busiest, with 86 gates.
Phoenix Airport has three parallel concrete/grooved runways that can accommodate aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 900,000 lb (410,000 kg) or greater.
