San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International is the region's primary international airport, out on the bay south of the city. It's a heavy commercial field, but it also handles private and corporate aviation from a general-aviation terminal well away from the airline concourses — useful when a trip genuinely needs to route through SFO rather than one of the Bay's quieter business fields.

Who flies here

SFO is overwhelmingly commercial, and for most private trips the calmer Bay Area business fields — Oakland's North Field, San Carlos, San José — are quicker and easier. Where SFO makes sense is a connection to an international flight or a specific need for the main airport; private aviation there means using the dedicated GA facility, not the terminals.

On the field

As of mid-2026 Signature Aviation operates the private-aviation facility at SFO, providing ground handling and fueling for general and business aircraft separate from the commercial side.

A bit of history

San Francisco leased 150 acres of Ogden Mills's estate in 1927 and dedicated Mills Field Municipal Airport that May — a dirt runway on a former cow pasture, built in under two months to win a Boeing airmail contract. The city bought the land and renamed it San Francisco Airport in 1931; "International" was added after World War II as overseas service grew.

FBO and history details were last verified mid-2026 against the airport's and operators' own published information; tenants and amenities change, so confirm the departure terminal with your operator.