Northern California's primary international gateway on San Francisco Bay.
Opened
1927
Location
San Francisco, United States
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the largest airport in the San Francisco Bay Area and one of the busiest in the United States, serving tens of millions of passengers annually. Located approximately 13 miles south of downtown San Francisco in unincorporated San Mateo County, it sits on a peninsula between US-101 and San Francisco Bay.
The airport serves as a major hub for United Airlines and a focus city for Alaska Airlines, connecting the region to destinations across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond. SFO is consistently ranked among the top airports in the world for international passenger traffic on trans-Pacific routes.
SFO is operated by the City and County of San Francisco and is known for its arts program, which features rotating museum-quality exhibitions throughout the terminals, as well as its collection of historical aviation artifacts.
Terminals
SFO has four terminal buildings—Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, and the International Terminal—connected by an AirTrain people mover system and arranged around a central parking complex.
Getting to & from
SFO is accessible by BART rapid transit with a direct connection to downtown San Francisco, as well as taxis, rideshare services, and SamTrans bus routes.
Airlines here
United Airlines uses SFO as a major hub, while Alaska Airlines operates a significant focus city presence, and numerous international carriers including Lufthansa, British Airways, Air China, and Japan Airlines serve the airport.
Notable facts
- ›SFO opened in 1927 as Mills Field Municipal Airport of San Francisco.
- ›The airport houses an accredited on-site museum with rotating art and history exhibitions.
- ›SFO was one of the first major U.S. airports to achieve LEED certification for its Terminal 2 building.
- ›The International Terminal, opened in 2000, is the largest in the Western Hemisphere by square footage.
- ›SFO handled approximately 51 million passengers in 2019, its record year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
This profile is provided for general information only. Details may be inaccurate or outdated — always verify with the airport's official website before acting on them.
