Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), colloquially recognized as America's Friendliest Airport®, is revving up for a grand celebration to commemorate its 90th anniversary. As its landmark year unfolds, PHX isn't merely reflecting on its past glory but rather focusing its radar on the horizon of future developments. According to a recent statement from the City of Phoenix, it was back in 1935 when the city purchased what was then a quaint airfield for $100,000 – an investment that now underpins an economic powerhouse contributing a whopping $13.3 billion in direct output from aviation services annually.
The airport, which has grown both in size and significance, marked a record-breaking moment in 2024 by welcoming its 50 millionth passenger within a single year. Over 56,000 jobs, as of today, are supported by PHX and the surrounding Sky Harbor Center facilities, emphasizing its role as a critical economic engine for the state of Arizona. This buoyant growth underscores the Airport's strategic importance, and its anniversary is spotlighting this legacy—complete with special trading cards, profiles of dedicated Phoenix Sky Harbor employees, and features of the airport over the decades from the 1930s to the present day, as stated in an article on the City of Phoenix's official website.
Festivities slated for the year include live music performances, exhibitions at the Phoenix Airport Museum, activities for all ages, and even a costume parade featuring the beloved Navigator Buddies therapy dogs. "The history of Phoenix Sky Harbor is rich with innovation and vitality, and that same vigor and forward thinking will drive this airport to bigger and better things," said Aviation Director Chad Makovsky, in an official City of Phoenix news release. Makovsky's statement reflects a commitment not only to physical expansion and sustainability but also to enhancing the passenger experience through improvements, concessions, and art enrichment programs.
There's more than just retrospective glory on PHX's flight plan. Highlights of the extensive history of the airport can be found at skyharbor.com/90years, which includes a special 90th-anniversary section featuring historic photos and interviews with long-tenured employees. Visitors and locals alike can glean fun facts and better understand how the airport manages to operate without a penny of tax dollar support. Each day, Phoenix Sky Harbor sees about 1,000 aircraft and over 130,000 passengers shuffle through its terminals, all contributing to the airport’s significant $44 billion annual economic impact on the region.
