Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport

Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (IATA: OAK, ICAO: KOAK, FAA LID: OAK) is an international airport located in Oakland, California, United States. It sits about seven miles south of downtown Oakland and twelve miles east of San Francisco. This airport serves the East Bay area and is owned by the Port of Oakland.

The airport offers many domestic flights to cities across the United States and international flights to places like Mexico and El Salvador. It also handles cargo flights to China and Japan. Covering 2,600 acres of land, Oakland Airport is a busy place and serves as a home base for Southwest Airlines.

History

Early years

The city of Oakland began planning an airport in 1925. The chance to host the Dole Air Race from California to Hawaii led to the purchase of 680 acres in April 1927. The airport’s 7,020-foot runway, the longest in the world at the time, was finished in just 21 days before the race. Famous pilot Charles Lindbergh dedicated the airport on September 17. Early on, Oakland was a starting point for important flights, including Charles Kingsford Smith’s trip to Australia in 1928 and Amelia Earhart’s last flight in 1937.

Boeing Air Transport, later United Airlines, started flights in December 1927, followed by Trans World Airlines in 1932. Boeing opened the Boeing School of Aeronautics in 1929, which trained many pilots and mechanics until it became a United Air Lines training center in 1945.

In 1943, the U.S. Armed Forces took over Oakland Airport temporarily, turning it into a base for military flights to Pacific islands. After the war, airlines slowly returned. Western Airlines began flights in 1946, followed by American Airlines, Trans World Airlines, United, Transocean Air Lines, and Pacific Southwest Airlines. Oakland grew as a center for smaller airlines and maintenance operations. The airport’s first jet terminal opened in 1962, part of a large expansion that included a new runway.

During the Vietnam War, World Airways used Oakland to move military passengers to Southeast Asia. After the war, new low-cost airlines began flying from Oakland. FedEx opened a major cargo base there in 1988, which remains busy today. Southwest Airlines started flying from Oakland in the 1990s and became the main passenger carrier. The airport also saw flights to Mexico and other international places.

2000s

United Airlines left its maintenance center in Oakland in 2003, moving to San Francisco International Airport. Oakland began a $300 million renovation in 2004, adding gates and updating terminals. By 2008, high fuel costs and airline troubles caused several cutbacks, including the end of flights to Hawaii by some airlines.

2010s

After the Great Recession, Oakland slowly recovered. New airlines like Allegiant Air and Spirit Airlines began flying there. In 2011, the airport celebrated its 85th anniversary. United Airlines left Oakland in 2012, moving to San Francisco International Airport. FedEx upgraded its cargo hub in 2013. Norwegian Air Shuttle started flights to Europe, and a new train line opened in 2014 to connect the airport to the city.

In 2015, a major renovation of Terminal 1 began and finished in 2017. Norwegian and British Airways both started flights to London. Southwest Airlines added international flights to Mexico. New routes to Europe and other places were announced in the following years.

Recent years

Between 2018 and 2020, Oakland lost several domestic and international flights due to airline schedule changes and the COVID-19 pandemic. Some traffic returned after 2020. In 2023, new flights to San Salvador and Monterrey were announced. In 2024, the airport changed its name to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, but this was later changed to Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport after a legal agreement.

Proposed developments

OAK served about 13 million passengers in 2019 and expects to reach 20 million by 2028 and 25 million by 2035. Plans are underway to expand and modernize the airport, including building a new terminal with up to 25 gates, consolidating existing terminals, and improving facilities for passengers and cargo.

Facilities

Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport has two terminals with a total of 29 gates. The terminals are connected after security, so passengers can easily move between flights without going through security again. All international flights that do not have special entry requirements use Terminal 1.

• Terminal 1 has 16 gates and serves airlines such as Advanced Air, Alaska, Allegiant, Delta, Hawaiian, Southwest, Viva, Volaris, and Volaris El Salvador.
• Terminal 2 has 13 gates and serves Southwest flights.

JSX operates from a separate area not connected to the main passenger terminals.

The airport has four runways. In 2013, two runways were renamed because of changes in Earth’s magnetic field.

• South Field (for commercial and cargo planes):

  • Runway 12/30: 10,520 feet long and 150 feet wide, made of asphalt

• North Field (for smaller private planes):

  • Runway 10R/28L: 6,213 feet long and 150 feet wide, made of asphalt
  • Runway 10L/28R: 5,458 feet long and 150 feet wide, made of asphalt
  • Runway 15/33: 3,376 feet long and 75 feet wide, made of asphalt

A taxiway connects the north and south runways, passing over a road to form an aircraft bridge.

Most of the time, winds blow from the west or north, so planes arrive from the southeast and leave toward the northwest. Sometimes, when winds blow from the east or south, planes arrive from the northwest and leave toward the southeast.

Signature Flight Support is the main provider of services for small private planes at the airport. KaiserAir also provides services for private jets and small planes, including flights to Hawaii.

Access

Car

The airport can be reached by car from Interstate 880 (Nimitz Freeway), which is 2 miles away. You can use Hegenberger Road or 98th Avenue to get there, both of which lead to Airport Road in front of the airport entrances. State Route 61 also provides access to nearby Alameda.

Public transportation

Train

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) serves the airport at Oakland International Airport station through the Oakland Airport Connector. This special train line connects the airport to the Coliseum station, where you can catch regular BART trains and Amtrak services. Trains leave every five minutes during busy times and reach the airport in about eight minutes.

Bus

Two AC Transit bus routes serve the airport. Line 73 runs from early morning until midnight and goes to the Eastmont Transit Center, connecting with Amtrak and BART services. Line 805 operates overnight and goes to the Uptown Transit Center in Downtown Oakland, connecting with Amtrak and BART along the way.

The Sonoma County Airport Express also runs buses between the airport and areas in Marin County and Sonoma County, including the Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport.

Airlines and destinations

Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport has many airlines that fly to different places. Passengers can travel to cities across the United States and also to some places outside the country, like Mexico and El Salvador.

The airport also handles cargo flights, which means it sends goods to faraway places such as China and Japan.

Statistics

Annual traffic

Top destinations

Airline market share