History
Harrisburg International Airport has been serving south-central Pennsylvania for over 100 years. Beginning in 1898, the Signal Corps of the U.S. Army was stationed here. This was followed by the first military airplanes landing in 1918 at what had become Olmsted Field of the fledgling U.S. Army Air Service.
The Middletown Air Depot (later Middletown Air Materiel Area) at Olmsted provided logistical and maintenance support of military aircraft until it was closed in 1969. With the turnover from the U.S. Air Force, commercial airline flights were switched from the Capital City Airport to the new Harrisburg International Airport which was established at the former Air Force Base. Architect William Pereira designed the new terminals which were completed in 1973.
In 1998, the Commonwealth transferred ownership to the Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA). The Authority board consists of community volunteers appointed to staggered, five-year terms by the elected officials from Cumberland, Dauphin, and York counties, the cities of Harrisburg and York, and Fairview and Lower Swatara townships.
Approximately 1,400 people work in the airport system of Harrisburg International Airport.
A new 360,000 square-foot terminal was completed in 2004. It cost $120 million to build and was designed by The Sheward Partnership.
Read more about this topic: Harrisburg International Airport
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