| Palm Springs International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| US Geological Survey orthophoto | |||
| IATA: PSP – ICAO: KPSP – FAA LID: PSP
PSP
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | City of Palm Springs | ||
| Serves | Palm Springs / Inland Empire | ||
| Location | Palm Springs, California | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 477 ft / 145.4 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 13R/31L | 10,001 | 3,048 | Asphalt |
| 13L/31R | 4,952 | 1,509 | Asphalt |
Palm Springs International Airport (IATA: PSP, ICAO: KPSP, FAA LID: PSP) is a public airport located two miles (3 km) east of the central business district (CBD) of Palm Springs, California, serving the Inland Empire Metropolitan Area of Southern California. The airport covers 940 acres (380 ha) and utilizes two runways. It is highly seasonal, in that many flights do not operate during the summer.
On December 30, 2006, Air Force One left Palm Springs International Airport with the body of the 38th President of the United States, Gerald R. Ford and delivered to Washington, D.C., for official federal services.
Contents |
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma Seasonal: Portland (OR) |
| Alaska Airlines operated by Horizon Air | Sacramento Seasonal: San Jose (CA) [begins February 17][1] |
| Allegiant Air | Stockton Seasonal: Bellingham |
| American Airlines | Dallas/Fort Worth Seasonal: Chicago-O’Hare |
| Delta Air Lines | Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul |
| Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines | Salt Lake City |
| Frontier Airlines | Seasonal: Denver |
| Sun Country Airlines | Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul |
| United Airlines | Seasonal: Chicago-O’Hare, Denver |
| United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines | Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco Seasonal: Houston-Intercontinental |
| US Airways | Phoenix |
| US Airways Express operated by Mesa Airlines | Phoenix |
| US Airways Express operated by SkyWest Airlines | Phoenix |
| Virgin America | Seasonal: San Francisco |
| WestJet | Calgary Seasonal: Edmonton, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver, Winnipeg |
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | 106,000 | American |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | 96,000 | Alaska, United, Virgin |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | 91,000 | Alaska |
| 4 | Phoenix, AZ | 87,000 | US Airways |
| 5 | Denver, CO | 57,000 | United |
| 6 | Los Angeles, CA | 52,000 | United |
| 7 | Chicago O’Hare, IL | 40,000 | American, United |
| 8 | Salt Lake City, UT | 35,000 | Delta |
| 9 | Portland, OR | 26,000 | Alaska |
| 10 | Bellingham, WA | 22,000 | Allegiant |
PSP was originally constructed as a United States Army Corps as an emergency landing field in 1939 on land owned by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians due to its clear weather and its proximity to March Field and the Los Angeles area.
In March 1941, the War Department certified improvements to the existing airport in Palm Springs as essential to National Defense. The airport was approved to serve as a staging field by the Air Corps Ferrying Command 21st Ferrying Group in November 1941. Land was acquired to build a major airfield one half miles from the old airfield site. The new airfield, designated Palm Springs Army Airfield was completed in early 1942, and thereafter the old air field was used only as a backup landing site.
Many of the field's Air Transport Command 560th Army Air Forces Base Unit personnel stayed at the comfortable Lapaz Guest Ranch nearby. Training conducted at the airfield was by the 72d and 73d Ferrying Squadrons in long-distance over-water flying and navigation. Later, training was also provided to pursuit pilot training by IV Fighter Command 459th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron. Training was conducted with P-51 Mustang; P-40 Warhawk and P-38 Lightning aircraft.
On 1 June 1944 training operations moved to Brownsville Army Airfield, Texas and the airfield was used for military (Army and Navy) air transport flights until the end of April 1945. The auxiliary field or backup field was declared surplus on 12 May 1945 and the main airfield was declared excess and transferred to the War Assets Administration for disposal in 1946 and it was sold to private buyers.
The City of Palm Springs purchased the land in 1961 and converted it for commercial use, which began in 1964 as the Palm Springs Municipal Airport.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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