For many individuals, California is a favourite travel destination. Numerous individuals travel to California to take in the natural beauty of the Golden State, from Los Angeles to San Francisco, from San Diego to Sacramento. Every year, the state welcomes almost 300 million tourists from throughout the globe. Consequently, enormous airports that are constantly expanding are constructed there.
1.Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
Sacramento International Airport is the most significant private jet charter California. It is located on 6,000 acres of land and serves the broader Sacramento Metropolitan Area with flights. In addition, SMF features two terminals and two runways with 43 gates each. Every year, Sacramento International serves over 11,000,000 travellers. When Sacramento International Airport opened in 1967, it featured a single, 8600-foot runway known as Sacramento Metropolitan Airport. With additional terminals, in-flight cuisine, and car rentals among its many new amenities, it eventually became the biggest airport in California. This airport serves flights from Mexico City to Newark and is home to sixteen different passenger carriers. There are plans to build more gates and maybe even a second terminal. It has maintained its position as the largest airport in California for a while!
2.San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
San Francisco is home to California’s second-largest airport. The 5,207 San Francisco International Airport acres have four runways and four distinct terminals. Moreover, SFO features seven distinct concourses with 115 distinct gates. Forty-two million people used this airport in 2022. Home to 54 airlines, SFO is considered a central hub and the second busiest airport in California after Los Angeles International and the seventh busiest in the US. Moreover, SFO is among California’s oldest airports. Established in 1927, it functioned as a training ground for the Army Air Corps and a Coast Guard post.
During World War II, it was known as Coast Guard Air Station, San Francisco and Naval Auxiliary Air Facility Mills Field. It now serves travellers from all over the world via flights. It is frequently the first location foreign visitors see when they arrive in the United States and serves as a significant entry point into Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania.
3.Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
At 3,500 acres, it isn’t easy to believe that the third busiest airport in the world isn’t even the biggest in California. Eighty-six million people passed through Los Angeles International Airport in 2019. In addition to being a hub for Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Polar Air Cargo, and United Airlines, LAX is home to 78 additional airlines. It features nine passenger terminals, four distinct runways, and more than 146 gates. The airport, which is already enormous, wants to modernise and add additional gates.
On a 640-acre tract in the Los Angeles Westchester neighbourhood, it was established in 1928. Its growth was exponential throughout time, and after extensions and repairs, it currently occupies a plot of 3500 acres. Furthermore, no meaningful significance is associated with the “X” in LAX. In the past, airports were only assigned two-letter codes; for example, LAX was just called LA. Nonetheless, three letters became the standard for airport identification due to the 20th century’s explosive growth in the aviation sector. To keep up with the modernisation of the identifiers, LA changed its name to LAX in 1947.
4.Oakland International Airport (OAK)
California’s fourth-biggest airport is Oakland International Airport. It provides services to the San Francisco Bay Area’s East Bay region. This airport serves flights to Mexico and Central America, both domestically and internationally. The 32 gates and four runways are on 2,600 acres of land. OAK has twelve distinct airlines and serves as Southwest Airlines’ operational hub. The Dole Air Race, established in 1927, was a primary impetus for the Oakland airport’s construction. With a length of 7,020 feet, it was the longest runway in the world—several well-known aircraft, such as Amelia Earhart’s last flight in 1937, took off from OAK.
5.Ontario International Airport (ONT)
Situated on 1,741 acres in San Bernardino County, Ontario International Airport is the seventh biggest airport in California. It has 28 gates, comprising two terminals, 26 gates, and a separate international arrivals entrance. ONT serves the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area and the Inland Empire, handling around 5,000,000 passengers annually. When it was first established in 1929, it was only considered a municipal airport since the city of Ontario had bought the land next to the old airport. Nevertheless, the airport was renamed Ontario International Airport after foreign cargo planes started to leave from there.
6.Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT)
California’s sixth-largest airport is Fresno Yosemite International Airport. It features two runways and is situated on 1,728 acres of land. FAT is a military airport open to the public that provides limited international service to Mexico and domestic travel. In reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbour, it reopened as a military airstrip in 1942. Known as Hammer Field, it served as a training ground for incoming pilots to the Fourth Air Force. The military deactivated Hammer Field following the conclusion of World War II. The city of Fresno acquired the site to build a more convenient airport for its residents. Numerous small airlines call it home, including the most significant regional airline in the US, SkyWest Airlines.
7.Long Beach Airport (LGB)
The seventh-largest airport in the state is Long Beach Airport, located in Los Angeles County, approximately three miles northeast of the downtown area of Long Beach. It is located on 1,166 acres of land and is used only for domestic travel. There are just three airlines that use Long Beach Airport’s three runways. Because LAX is just 20 miles away, the airport, which serves Greater Los Angeles, is mainly utilised for domestic commercial passenger flights. The first transcontinental flight pilot, Calbraith Perry Rodgers, used the local beach as a runway before establishing Long Beach Airport.
Conclusion
The Golden State of America, California, is renowned for its magnificent landscapes and never-ending sunlight. Its range includes the Pacific coast, woodlands, the Mojave Desert, and the Sierra Nevada mountains. In 1850, this picturesque region became the 31st state to join the US as a sovereign nation. Roughly nine national parks are in sunny California—the epitome of outdoor activity and natural beauty. Death Valley, Yosemite, and Joshua Tree National Parks are the three most stunning national parks. Even so, you may visit several entertaining theme parks like Magic Mountain, Discovery Kingdom, and Disneyland if you are travelling with kids.
