Departure
97%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
San Antonio International Airport (KSAT) is a Class C commercial airport in Uptown Central San Antonio, Texas, about eight miles north of downtown, offering three long hard-surfaced runways with ILS approaches. Operated by the City of San Antonio's Aviation Department, it traces its roots to 1941 and wartime military training use, and today handles scheduled airline traffic alongside general aviation movements in a busy, mixed traffic environment shared with nearby Kelly and Randolph Air Force Bases.
San Antonio International Airport is the principal commercial airport serving the San Antonio metropolitan area, owned by the City of San Antonio and operated by its Aviation Department. For a visiting VFR or IFR pilot it presents a large, well-equipped Class C field with three hard-surfaced runways, full ILS coverage on two of them, and a control tower, set within a busy airspace shared with military traffic from nearby Kelly and Randolph Air Force Bases, making it an interesting and demanding destination to fly into.
The airport lies in Uptown Central San Antonio, roughly eight miles north of downtown, and sits within Class C airspace. The Federal Aviation Administration notes that the proximity of both Kelly and Randolph Air Force Bases contributes to a complex traffic mix in the vicinity, and pilots operating nearby are advised to be alert to this. Boerne Stage Airport, a smaller field, lies about 17 miles northwest and is aligned with the runway 13R straight-in final approach course; traffic overflying that area at or above 3,000 feet MSL is advised to contact San Antonio Approach for traffic advisories (source: https://www.faa.gov/flight_deck/sat).
San Antonio International has three physical runways. Runway 04/22 is 8,506 feet long, hard-surfaced and lit, with an ILS serving runway 04. Runway 13R/31L is approximately 8,496/8,497 feet long, hard-surfaced and lit, with ILS approaches available to both runway 13R and runway 31L. Runway 13L/31R is 5,517 feet long, hard-surfaced and lit, without an instrument landing system.
San Antonio Tower operates on 119.8 MHz, with San Antonio Ground on 121.9 MHz. Airport/departure information is broadcast on ATIS 118.9 MHz. An approach/departure frequency is listed at 118.05 MHz, and a clearance delivery-related frequency is shown at 126.7 MHz. UNICOM is available on 122.95 MHz. The field is equipped with ILS approaches for runways 04, 13R and 31L.
Pilots should expect a busy Class C environment with a complex mix of airline, general aviation and nearby military traffic. The FAA notes that certain designated movement areas on the airfield are not visible from the control tower, so extra vigilance is required when taxiing or operating in those areas. Noise-sensitive areas exist in all quadrants around the airport, and departing pilots are asked, at their discretion, to climb as quickly and quietly as safely possible after takeoff (source: https://www.faa.gov/flight_deck/sat). Traffic routing via Boerne Stage Airport to the northwest, aligned with the runway 13R final approach course, should contact San Antonio Approach for traffic advisories when operating in that vicinity.
Boerne Stage Airport, about 17 miles northwest of the field and aligned with the runway 13R straight-in final approach course, serves as a useful reference point for inbound traffic on that approach. The airport's position roughly eight miles north of downtown San Antonio, within reach of both Kelly and Randolph Air Force Bases, helps orient pilots navigating the wider San Antonio area.
San Antonio International Airport was founded in 1941 when the City of San Antonio purchased 1,200 acres of undeveloped land north of the then city limits for a project known as San Antonio Municipal Airport. Wartime needs meant the field was not fully finished until after the Second World War, during which a large northeast portion was pressed into federal service as Alamo Field, used by the United States Army Air Forces as a training base. The 77th Reconnaissance Group trained reconnaissance personnel there, flying a range of aircraft including the P-39, P-40, A-20, B-25, O-47, O-52 and L-5, with one squadron, the 113th, flying antisubmarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico. Braniff Airlines became the first airline to serve the airport in 1943, followed by American Airlines in 1944, the same year the airport was renamed San Antonio International Airport. After the war Alamo Field was handed to the City of San Antonio for civil use. Terminal 2 was built between 1951 and 1953 along with the FAA control tower, and a new satellite concourse with eight jet bridge gates was added for HemisFair '68. In June 1971 the airport was one of three original destinations, alongside Dallas and Houston, for the newly launched Southwest Airlines. A 1975 Airport Master Plan led to a new terminal, later known as Terminal A, completed in 1984 and raising gate capacity from eight to 27, while a new 221-foot FAA control tower was built at a new location in 1986. A further master plan in 1994 set out expansion of terminal facilities. Terminal 2 closed in November 2010 as Terminal B opened, with Terminal 1 renamed Terminal A, and Terminal 2 was demolished by May 2011. In May 2024 the airport received its first nonstop service to Europe, with Condor launching seasonal flights to Frankfurt, though this service was withdrawn a few months later.
San Antonio International Airport now averages some 260 daily arrivals and departures across 27 gates, served by 14 airlines flying non-stop to 45 destinations in the United States and Mexico. A major expansion project beginning in 2023, with completion scheduled for 2028, will add a new terminal, renovate the existing Terminal A, and upgrade the airfield and roadways to accommodate continued growth.