How Many Airports are There in Utah?
There are 94 airports in Utah, 48 of which are privately owned and operated. The state also has 61 heliports. The state’s air travel is primarily carried out at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). According to SLC statistics, the air travelers’ volume was 12 M in 2020, while the summary number of air passengers visiting and leaving Utah was about 12.5 M that same year. This accounts for approximately 1.45% of the overall air passenger volume in the U.S.
SLC is the only large hub on the Utah airports map. It is also the state’s only international airport. Other airports are classified as non-hubs and serve domestic routes only. Though Salt Lake City International Airport is very busy, it has a well-developed infrastructure and high precision for aircraft operations. 85.7% of incoming flights land on time at SLC, and 86.25% of departing ones take off on time. The smallest commercial airport is Vernal Regional Airport (VEL) that welcomes about 10,600 passengers annually.
List of Airports in Utah
Airlines That Fly to Utah
If you’re going to fly to Utah from abroad, the only option is to fly with Aeromexico. Major American carriers perform domestic flights to airports with the Utah airports code, while smaller airports are frequently served by a local operator, SkyWest Airlines.
The list of U.S. airlines providing flights from and to Utah:
Popular Destinations
The proximity of certain Utah airports to a national park or another tourist site results in a higher number of online queries for a flight to that destination. The popularity chart for UT cities goes as follows:
Utah Aviation History
The history of airports in Utah dates from 1911 when an airdrome was established on Basque Flats in Salt Lake City. It was covered with cinder and served for demonstration flights during the Great International Aviation Carnival. At that festival, Glenn H. Curtiss, for the first time, presented a seaplane and performed a flight on it over the Great Salt Lake. After the Aviation Carnival, the airdrome was used for training flights.
In 1918, the first airmail delivery route was established. It connected Washington, D.C. and New York City. In 1920, the expansion of the airmail service resulted in a new route connecting Omaha and San Francisco with several stops on the way. One of these stops was in Salt Lake City, where the aircraft could land and replenish its gasoline.
Shortly after the start of a new airmail route, the airdrome was given a name after a pilot John P. Woodward, who worked in the airmail delivery and died in an airplane crash during a blizzard. The airdrome had a large area (106 acres), and new constructions were built quickly. They included a big hangar accommodating eight aircraft, an office building, and a zone for aircraft repair and reconstruction.
Until 1930, the Woodward Field airdrome was given more territory (400 acres in total) and an additional runway. In the same year, it was renamed Salt Lake City Municipal Airport. The airport expanded quickly, attracting more passenger and cargo flows. In 1968, it was renamed Salt Lake City International Airport. Ever since its inception, SLC has been the biggest and busiest among Utah airports.
