Pittsburgh International Airport

"PIT" redirects here. For the United States Air Force facility at PIT, see Pittsburgh IAP Air Reserve Station. For other uses, see PIT (disambiguation).

Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
Summary
Airport typePublic / Military
Owner/OperatorAllegheny County Airport Authority
ServesPittsburgh metropolitan area
LocationFindlay and Moon townships in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OpenedMay 31, 1952; 72 years ago (1952-05-31)
Hub forSouthern Airways Express[1]
Operating base forAllegiant Air
Elevation AMSL1,202 ft / 366 m
Coordinates40°29′46″N 80°14′46″W / 40.496°N 80.246°W / 40.496; -80.246
Websitewww.flypittsburgh.com
Maps
FAA airport diagram
FAA airport diagram
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
10R/28L 11,500 3,505 Concrete
10C/28C 10,775 3,284 Asphalt/concrete
10L/28R 10,502 3,201 Asphalt/concrete
14/32 8,101 2,469 Concrete
Helipads
Number Length Surface
ft m
H1 60 18 Concrete
Statistics (2023)
Total passengers9,196,564
Total operations128,175
Total cargo+mail (lbs.)190,499,602
Sources: FAA,[2] ACI,[3] PIT airport website[4]

Pittsburgh International Airport (IATA: PIT, ICAO: KPIT, FAA LID: PIT) — originally Greater Pittsburgh Airport and later Greater Pittsburgh International Airport — is a civil-military international airport in Findlay Township and Moon Township, Pennsylvania, United States. About 10 miles (15 km) west of downtown Pittsburgh, it is the primary international airport serving the Greater Pittsburgh Region as well as adjacent areas in West Virginia and Ohio. The airport is owned and operated by the Allegheny County Airport Authority and offers passenger flights to destinations throughout North America and Europe.[5] PIT has four runways and covers 10,000 acres (40 km2).[2][6] PIT is the largest civil/public airport in terms of land area in the state of Pennsylvania.[7]

First opened in 1952, the airport was initially served by five airlines and became a small hub for Trans World Airlines for over two decades. The airport underwent a massive $1 billion rebuilding and expansion which was largely designed to US Airways' specification so it could become one of their major hubs. Completed in 1992, the new airport was one of the most innovative in the world, dubbed the "airport of the future" by the New York Times,[8] and helped to pioneer modern airport design with its X-shape to reduce distance between gates, underground tram to transport passengers around the airport, and array of shopping options, all of which were cutting-edge at the time.[9][10] Traffic peaked at 20 million passengers in the late 1990s, and US Air peaked at 542 flights and 11,995 employees at the airport in 2001, and the airport was an important pillar of the Pittsburgh economy.[11][12] However, the downturn in air travel immediately after September 11 attacks badly harmed US Airways' financial state. US Air declared chapter 11 bankruptcy twice in a row, and abandoned Pittsburgh as a hub in 2004, eliminating thousands of jobs and nearly bankrupting the airport itself, which was built largely to suit US Airways' needs.[13][14] However, US Air's diminished capacity at Pittsburgh opened the door for other airlines to expand operations and better serve local Pittsburgh-area passengers rather than focus on connecting passengers.

The airport experienced a resurgence in the 2010s, doubling the number of carriers to 16 as the Allegheny County Airport Authority has aggressively courted airlines and lobbied for new passenger routes.[13] Southwest Airlines has increased its presence at the airport in recent years, overtaking American Airlines (which US Airways merged with) as the largest carrier in terms of passengers.[15] The airport is also a hub for regional carrier Southern Airways Express. Cargo operations have increased at the airport in recent years.[16]

In 2017, the airport became the first in the country to reopen access to the post-security terminal for individuals who are not flying, as long as they can pass through security, after the federal government lifted restrictions put in place after 9/11.[17]

In 2021, the airport became the first in the world with its own microgrid, which provides power to the entire airport with natural gas and solar power.[18]

The airport is currently undergoing a $1.39 billion renovation[19] which will include a new terminal for check-in, security, and baggage claim adjacent to the gates.[20] The renovation will eliminate the need for the tram and increase the number of parking spaces. Officials emphasized that the renovations would make the airport more suited to Pittsburgh, rather than to US Airways.[21] First announced in 2017[22] and delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the renovation resumed in 2021[23] and is now projected to open in 2025.[24][25] The project will not use any local tax dollars, and airlines will pay most of the costs.[26]

  1. ^ Fontaine, Tom. "Pittsburgh adding flights to regional airports". TribLIVE.com.
  2. ^ a b FAA Airport Form 5010 for PIT PDF, effective October 31, 2024.
  3. ^ 2010 North American final rankings Archived 16 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "PIT Airport - Summary Of Traffic December 2020" (PDF). flypittsbugh.com. December 1, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  5. ^ "PIT TRAFFIC REPORT AUGUST 2015: NEW FLIGHTS ON VACATION EXPRESS, ALLEGIANT, SOUTHWEST CONTRIBUTE TO GROWTH - PIT". Archived from the original on October 20, 2015.
  6. ^ "PIT airport data at skyvector.com". skyvector.com. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  7. ^ "List of Airports in Pennsylvania by SkyVector". skyvector.com. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  8. ^ Marriott, Michel (November 12, 1991). "Pittsburgh Builds Airport of Future Now (Published 1991)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023.
  9. ^ Pittsburgh to be first airport to allow non-fliers past security since 9/11
  10. ^ Pittsburgh International Airport considers abandoning $1B terminal's landside building, tram
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference ppg111107 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ US Airways' Pittsburgh market share under 40 percent
  13. ^ a b The Revival of a Once-Bustling Airport
  14. ^ Promises made and broken: Picking up the pieces left by US Airways’ departure from Pittsburgh
  15. ^ Despite pandemic, Southwest Airlines still keen on Pittsburgh
  16. ^ Cargo surges amid passenger declines at Pittsburgh International Airport
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference ppg82817 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Pittsburgh International Airport Completes Marcellus Shale-Fueled Microgrid
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference bsp32221 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Pittsburgh's airport shows off plans for new $1.1 billion terminal
  21. ^ A US Airways airport no more? New vision unveiled for Pittsburgh's airport
  22. ^ Airport Authority To Spend $1B Updating Pittsburgh International By 2023
  23. ^ Pittsburgh International Airport ready to 'move ahead' with $1.1B Terminal Modernization Program
  24. ^ Why Pittsburgh’s New Airport Will Be the Right Size for the Future
  25. ^ Viewpoint: Kudos to those helping make the airport soar again
  26. ^ Terminal Project to Restart, New Routes Arrive and Presidential Praise at Pittsburgh International