Hewlett Packard was born in the legendary Palo Alto garage, becoming the model for subsequent generations of inventors and game changers as Santa Clara Valley started to grow and prosper after World War II. The breathtaking orchards of Santa Clara Valley were slowly replaced by subdivisions, shopping centers, and industrial parks through the 1950s and 60s. Silicon Valley emerged as waves of technology, from semiconductors to the “cloud,” and it’s now home to some of the world’s greatest technology enterprises including Google, Intel, Cisco, Apple, HP, Adobe, Applied Materials, eBay, and many more.

Mineta San José International Airport is located in the heart of Silicon Valley, just minutes away from these global technology giants. Conveniently serving a wealthy and diverse region approaching four million people and thousands of Silicon Valley companies, SJC is Silicon Valley’s airport.

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.

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.

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.

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.