SFO: the airport beside the bay

Finding its place

An aerial photograph explains SFO in ways that a view of a terminal cannot. It shows the airport beside the bay, the arrangement of its runways, and the ground an aircraft crosses between landing and reaching its stand.

Despite its name, the airport lies outside the city of San Francisco, in San Mateo County. It is owned by the City and County of San Francisco and has operated at this location since May 7, 1927. Its original name was Mills Field Municipal Airport of San Francisco.

Runways and weather

The four runways form two pairs of parallel runways. Their layout helps explain why weather affects airport operations. Wind direction influences the choice of operating configuration, while low visibility limits arrivals on closely spaced parallel runways. Two photographs of the same airport layout do not necessarily show the same operating conditions.

An airport that changes

Engineering projects also change the layout. The reconstruction of Taxiways D and T, completed in January 2024, included changes to their geometry as well as improvements to pavement, lighting, signs, markings and drainage. A taxiway involves far more than its visible surface.

Inside the terminals, changes can be less obvious. Under the Quiet Airport program, boarding announcements are directed to the relevant gate area and its immediate surroundings, reducing unnecessary broadcasts across the terminal. Airport engineering shapes both aircraft movements and what passengers hear while waiting for a flight.

Dates are especially useful when viewing photographs of SFO. They help distinguish enduring features of the site from a particular stage in the airport’s development.