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Featured Airport

 Watsonville Municipal Airport

 Watsonville, CA 

 The Watsonville Municipal Airport is a public use, general aviation airport   located three miles northwest of the central business district of   Watsonville, a city in Santa Cruz County, California, serving the major   recreation and business area of Monterey Bay.

 KWVI is owned by the City of Watsonville, and is a self-sustaining, enterprise operation with a staff of 12 full-time employees. It is home to over 300 GA aircraft and is used extensively by various businesses, specifically in the agri-business community. Its four runways accommodate over 55,000 operations per year, making it one of the busiest airports in the area. It supports many aviation activities including: private flying, flight training, aircraft rental, maintenance, sightseeing, air ambulance, law enforcement aviation, air charter, skydiving, and military helicopter operations.

Watsonville Muni offers full service aircraft fueling support and a self service fueling island. Its terminal building includes administrative offices, a communications room, a lobby area, a restaurant, and a café.


How to be the Featured Airport

SWAAAE is asking members to contribute photos of their airports to be considered* for the background image of the website. Photos will be rotated on a monthly basis. 

Photo Requirements:

  • Photo must be 1500 pixels wide and be high resolution (300 dpi)
  • Landscape orientation is preferred  
  • Please avoid submitting photos that feature a specific airline, tenant, concession, etc. 
  • You must own the rights to the photo and share those rights with SWAAAE.

Please submit your photos and a brief write-up about your airport to info@swaaae.org for consideration. 

*Please note that we cannot guarantee your photo will be used.

Past Featured Airports

Carson City Airport
Carson City, NV

 The Carson City Airport   is located in the State   Capital of Nevada,   Carson City. Carson   City is a combined city-   county municipality and   is the third largest   county in Nevada with   421,000 residents. Carson City is approximately 20 miles south of Reno
and 14 miles east of Lake Tahoe. The airport initially established in 1928 on 76 acres of land provided to Carson City by 3 prominent local families.

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The Airport expanded significantly in the 1940s and 50s to allow for an east-west runway taking advantage of the prevailing westerly Sierra Nevada winds. This acreage comprises the approximate footprint of the main runway. Many areas were dirt and services on the field were limited. In the 1970’s, Carson City designated land north of the main runway as the Carson City Industrial Airport and offered parcels for lease in order to attract clean, high quality manufacturers. These parcels were eventually sold to the tenants, and the area continues to evolve as a thriving manufacturing / industrial hub.

In 1989, the Airport Authority Act for Carson City was passed by the Nevada State Legislature. This Act created the current governance structure for the Airport. The Carson City Board of Supervisors appoints the members of the Carson City Airport Authority Board who in turn operate the Airport, establish rules for its safe use, financial stability and provide policy guidance to the Airport Manager who executes policy. Pursuant to the Act, the Carson City Airport Authority is comprised of seven members. The airport is designed to B-II standards with a 6,109’ runway. The airport field elevation is 4,700 MSL and had 86,000 operations in the last 12 months. There are over 350 based aircraft and 745,000 square feet of hangar storage space. There has been over $40M invested in the airport in the last 10 years.

Sky Harbor International Airport
Phoenix, AZ

On July 16, 1935, the City of Phoenix became the owner of Sky Harbor Airport, nicknamed “The Farm” because of its isolated, rural location. For $100,000, the city purchased the airport’s 285 acres from the Acme Investment Company.  Over the last 84 years, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has grown to 3,400 acres and has become one of the busiest airports in the country, ranked 13th busiest in the U.S. for 2018.

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That same year, Sky Harbor served 44,943,686 passengers, had 434,252 operations, and handled 392,063 tons of cargo. The total economic impact of the Phoenix Airport System is $38 Billion, including 269,000 jobs, and the direct economic impact of Sky Harbor alone is $12.3 billion, with 57,432 jobs at the airport.

Reno-Tahoe International Airport
Reno, NV

As the 66th busiest commercial airport in the nation, Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) serves approximately 4.2 million passengers per year.  Located only five minutes from downtown Reno and 40 minutes from some of the finest ski resorts and outdoor recreation in the world, RNO is the Gateway to Lake Tahoe and the entire region.

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Nine different airlines offer service at RNO with 15,000 seats available to 22 non-stop destinations each day. RNO is an important asset to the region, generating a total annual economic impact of $3.1 billion. The airport functions like a small city with over 2,600 employees working for a variety of companies. It takes the dedication and service of these employees working together to make that all important first and last impression on travelers to and from the region. Free Wi-Fi, three dog parks, and a Kindness Takes Flight team are all part of the customer service culture at RNO. More information can be found at www.renoairport.com.

Livermore Municipal Airport
 Livermore, CA

John Wayne Airport
 Orange County, CA

John Wayne Airport (JWA), the only commercial airport in Orange County, CA, is host to nearly 10.6 million annual passengers and flies to 23 non-stop destinations throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. JWA ranked highest in the J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Survey among Large Airports in North America for two consecutive years and ranks among the Top 5 in 2019. 
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MONEY Magazine rated JWA the Best Airport in the U.S. in 2018, and JWA is one of the Top 10 Most Relaxing Airports in the U.S. according to the Travel Channel. JWA offers a variety of services and amenities, including live music, newly expanded retail and dining options with preorder capabilities, free, high-speed Wi-Fi, and a Helping Hands program for travelers with hidden disabilities.

San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport
 San Luis Obispo, CA

San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport (SBP) is a bustling small airport on the central coast of California. Nestled between the beach, farmland, and award-winning wineries, SBP has served the San Luis Obispo community since 1939, opening a brand-new terminal in 2017. 

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But don’t be fooled into thinking things are “SLO” around the airfield: the airport was ranked one of the fastest growing airports in 2018 by North America by Airports Council International – North America, and 2019 passenger numbers are already 10 percent higher in the first half of the year. The airport’s remarkable growth bolsters the region’s economy—the airport has an incredible $85.24 million impact on San Luis Obispo County each year. The airport creates 562 full-time jobs directly on the airport, and supports a total of 871 full-time jobs in the region. More information can be found at sloairport.com.

Photo: Watsonville Municipal Airport
Watsonville, CA

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