Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport from the air.
PDX airport diagram.
IATA: PDX – ICAO: KPDX – FAA LID: PDX + PDX Location of the Portland International Airport
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Port of Portland
Serves		Portland metropolitan area
Location		Portland, Oregon
Hub for		Alaska Airlines Horizon Air SeaPort Airlines
Elevation AMSL		30 ft / 9 m
Coordinates		45°35′19″N 122°35′51″W / 45.58861°N 122.5975°W / 45.58861; -122.5975Coordinates: 45°35′19″N 122°35′51″W / 45.58861°N 122.5975°W / 45.58861; -122.5975
Website		www.flypdx.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
3/21	7,001	2,134	Asphalt
10L/28R	8,000	2,438	Asphalt
10R/28L	11,000	3,353	Asphalt
Statistics (2008)
Passengers			14,654,222
Aircraft operations			252,572
Based aircraft			92 (2007)
Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Portland International Airport (IATA: PDX, ICAO: KPDX, FAA LID: PDX) is the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located on the south side of the Columbia River within the current city limits of Portland in Multnomah County, six miles by air and twelve miles by highway northeast of downtown Portland. Portland International Airport is often referred to by its IATA airport code, PDX.

PDX has direct connections to major airport hubs throughout the United States, plus non-stop international flights to Canada, Japan, Mexico, and the Netherlands. It is a hub for United Express affiliate SkyWest Airlines for flights to smaller cities in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California and Nevada. The airport is a major hub for Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, and serves as a maintenance facility for Horizon Air. Small regional carrier SeaPort Airlines is headquartered and operates its Pacific Northwest hub at PDX. General aviation services are provided at PDX by Flightcraft. The Oregon Air National Guard has a base located on the south side of the property. Local transportation includes light rail on the MAX Red Line and Interstate 205.

Terminal building

Aerial view of the airport from the southwest

The main terminal consists of one building roughly "H"-shaped that is divided into five concourses. Concourses A, B, and C are on the south side of the terminal and concourses D and E are on the north; the two sides are connected beyond security checkpoints by an elevated walkway opened in August 2005. PDX offers services including free Wi-Fi wireless Internet access, a children's play area and postal services.

PDX has a shopping mall behind its ticketing counters, with all shops and restaurants open every day. Because the state is one of the few in the nation with no sales tax, all stores offer tax-free shopping. The Port of Portland also requires all airport shops and restaurants to practice "Fair Retail Pricing" (which means businesses are not allowed to charge more than at their off-airport locations). Stores include national stores and Oregon-based ones such as Made in Oregon, Nike, Columbia Sportswear, Powell's Books, Oregon Pendleton Shop, and The Real Mother Goose among others. Food services also are a mix of national chains and local options.

Statistics and ratings

View from Rocky Butte

In 2008, PDX handled 14,299,234 passengers and had non-stop commercial air service to 16 of the 17 most populated US Metropolitan Statistical Areas. There was an average of 1.2 million passengers on 17,600 commercial flight operations per month. The airport also handled 19,500 short tons of air freight per month.

In 2006, 2007, and 2008 PDX was identified as the top airport for business travelers in the United States by Condé Nast Traveler magazine. The Condé Nast ranking was based upon criteria including location and access, ease of connections, food, shops, amenities, comfort and design, and perceived safety and security; PDX received the top overall score, and the magazine noted the airport’s environmentally friendly initiatives, including the airport's use of solar panels for power, its connection to the MAX Light Rail, and its recycling of its restaurants' used oil and grease.

In 2008, a J.D. Power study contradicted the magazine's assessment, ranking the airport 19th in overall airport satisfaction out of 21 U.S. airports with from 10 to 30 million passengers per year. It scored PDX "average" in the categories of check-in/baggage check, security check and baggage claims, and at the bottom of several categories, including overall airport satisfaction, airport accessibility, terminal facilities and food and retail services.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Portland Airport has five concourses (A, B, C, D, E) as well as a business aviation terminal. In addition, a dedicated facility handles cargo operations.

The international section of Concourse D was renamed the Governor Victor G. Atiyeh International Concourse to honor former Oregon Governor Victor G. Atiyeh, who was also known as "Trader Vic" for launching international tourism and trade initiatives during his term as Oregon Governor.

Note: All international arrivals (except flights from cities with customs preclearance) are handled at Concourse D, regardless of their departure terminal.

Cargo operations

City airport history

Portland's main airport has been in two other incarnations. The first was on Swan Island, now used by the Port of Portland for industrial parks, and the second was the 1940s–1950s configuration on the present site known as the "super airport". The third and present configuration was first known as "The International", but is now known as PDX in all common and most official usage.

Swan Island Airport

In 1925 aviation proponents proposed an airport for Portland on Swan Island, northwest of downtown Portland on the Willamette River. The Port of Portland purchased 256 acres (104 ha) and construction began in 1926. Although the airport wasn't completed until 1930, Charles Lindbergh flew in and dedicated the new airfield in 1927.

By 1935 it was becoming apparent to the Port of Portland that the Swan Island Airport was becoming obsolete. The small airfield couldn't easily be expanded, nor could it accommodate the larger aircraft and passenger loads expected to become common to Portland. Plans immediately were conceived to relocate the outdated airfield to a larger site.

Swan Island Airport was officially named Portland Airport until the opening of the new airport.

Portland-Columbia "Super Airport"

The present PDX site was purchased by the Portland City Council in 1936. At the time it was 700 acres (280 ha) bordered by the Columbia River in the north and the Columbia Slough in the south. The city council issued US$300,000 and asked the Port of Portland to sponsor a US$1.3 million Works Progress Administration (WPA) grant to develop the site into a "super airport". The project provided badly needed Great Depression-era jobs and was completed in 1940. The airport was designated Portland-Columbia Airport to distinguish it from then-operating Swan Island Airport.

During World War II the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Force.

The "super airport" featured a terminal on the north side of the property, off Marine Drive, and five runways (NE-SW, NW-SE, and an E-W runway forming an asterisk). This configuration was adequate until a new terminal and a longer, 8,800-foot (2,700 m) east-west runway were constructed in 1952.

In 1948 the entire airport grounds were flooded during the Vanport Flood due to its proximity to the Columbia River and very low elevation, forcing scheduled airline services to reroute to nearby Troutdale Airport. The grounds remained covered entirely in water for several months.

International status and expansion

Atrium at the end of Concourse D

Departure area of the airport

A new terminal opened in 1958, which for the most part serves as the present facility. The new terminal is located to the east of the original runways, and north of the then-new 8,800 ft. runway. Construction of a second east-west runway to the north made this a midfield terminal. At this point, all but the NE-SW (3/21) runway in the original "X" were abandoned and turned into taxiways. 3/21 was extended for use as a cross-wind runway. "International" was added to the airport's official designation after the 1950s-era improvements.

Plans made in 1968 to add a third runway by means of filling in parts of the Columbia River were met with vocal public opposition and scrapped. The airport switched from screening passengers at individual gates to screening all visitors at concourse entrances in 1973 as new FAA regulations went into effect. In 1974 the south runway was extended to 11,000 feet (3,400 m) to service the newest jumbo jets.

By the 1980s, the terminal building began an extensive renovation in order to update PDX to meet future needs. Concourse E was first to be reconstructed, and featured PDX's first moving sidewalks. The Oregon Marketplace, a small shopping mall, was added in the former waiting areas behind the ticket counters.

The early 1990s saw a food court and extension added to Concourse C, and the opening of the new Concourse D. This marked the first concessions inside secured areas, allowing passengers to purchase items without having to be re-screened.

An expanded parking garage, new control tower, and canopy over the curbside were finished in the late 1990s. Although hailed by architectural critics, the canopy blocked views of Mount Hood from the curbside. During construction, the garage addition collapsed, killing a worker.

The present H-shape of the PDX terminal was completed on September 10, 2001 when the new A, B and C concourses, as well as the light rail line, were finished. Probably the most stunning portion of PDX's interior, the new concourses reflect a Northwest theme, focusing heavily on the nearby Columbia river. A huge celebration was to be held the following weekend, but the events of September 11, 2001 interceded. The new concourses, designed to be public spaces, were closed to non-passengers.

In the fall of 2005, the concourse connector was finished. This is a long hallway on the secure side of the airport that connects the A, B, and C concourses to the D and E concourses on the other side of the airport. If there is a long line at the checkpoint at one end of the airport, passengers may use the other checkpoint and walk through the connector to their desired concourse.

International service

International, Alaska, and Hawaii destinations served from Portland International Airport (as of July 2010)

Delta Air Lines used Portland as a gateway in the 1990s for extensive service to Asia with its MD-11 aircraft, until the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. International travel decreased even further due to complaints about treatment at the immigration facility in Portland, leading it to be nicknamed "DePortland". The combination of these factors caused Delta to discontinue what was then the last direct flight from PDX to Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT) and Nagoya in March 2001. This change brought local media scrutiny, which, when combined with the resulting Congressional pressure, caused those in charge of the immigration facility to address the problems. Delta resumed a Narita nonstop service in 2009 as part of its acquisition of Northwest.

Meanwhile, local travel businesses had begun recruiting other carriers. Lufthansa started direct flights to Frankfurt, Germany, on March 31, 2003. However, in September 2009, Lufthansa indefinitely suspended the Portland-Frankfurt route citing lack of profitability. Northwest Airlines introduced non stop flights to Tokyo (Narita Airport) on June 10, 2004. Mexicana Airlines also introduced service to Guadalajara, Mexico and Mexico City. After 5 years of service between PDX and Mexico, the service was cancelled by Mexicana Airlines on May 2, 2008, due to high fuel prices and change in demand. This change left Alaska Airlines as the only airline with nonstop services to Mexico. Northwest Airlines announced on October 9, 2007 the expansion of international service with new A330 nonstop service to Amsterdam that began on March 29, 2008. Though at one time reported to continue to Mumbai by Delta beginning June, 2009, the Amsterdam service was instead reduced that year to a Northwest-operated Delta-flown 767-300; and in 2010 Northwest's former Honolulu service was eliminated by Delta altogether.

The airport's international service was also featured on The Amazing Race 13 as the arrival airport after all three teams that were in the race arrived on Lufthansa from Frankfurt. Lufthansa ended its service to Frankfurt on September 12, 2009.

Air Canada has announced plans to operate daily nonstop service between PDX and Toronto beginning in June 2010.

Delta Air Lines announced that it will keep its nonstop flights to Amsterdam and Tokyo. Also, the airline is eyeing a possibility of a nonstop flight to Paris.

Plans

Although some plans have been studied to either replace or relieve PDX traffic, planners continue to prefer expansion. Salem, Oregon's McNary Field (SLE) and the Port of Portland's Hillsboro Airport (HIO) in Washington County have been suggested as future relievers. Between 1993 and 2007, Salem's airport was without scheduled airline flights. With resumption of commercial flights on June 7, 2007, the airport has planned terminal improvements using a preconstructed modular building. However, these flights have since been canceled.

At PDX, base material has begun to soften around eighteen supporting joints beneath the west third of the south runway due to aircraft landings. The port considered shutting the runway down at night for repairs and opening the runway during the day as would normally be done. However, this would require the rehabilitation be spread over a four year period. Due to the weakened joints, the runway must be repaired before the end of 2011, which could not be done using the four year strategy. Since more aircraft require the full length runway than could be accommodated by the next longest runway, the port has proposed expanding the north runway. If approved, the north runway is tentatively scheduled to be extended between May and November 2010. This will allow for the south runway to be closed the following year for resurfacing. By closing and working on the entire runway at once, the port estimates the rehabilitation of the south runway will cost 40 percent less than working at night only.

Gallery

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Location & QuickFacts

Owner & Manager

Airport Operations and Facilities

Airport Communications

Airport Services

Runway Information

Runway 03/21

Runway 10L/28R

Runway 10R/28L

Radio Navigation Aids

Remarks

• UNCONTROLLED TFC AT PEARSON FIELD VANCOUVER WA 3 NM W OF RY 10L THLD ON EXTDD CNTRLN.
• (E143-20) LCZR ONLY.RWY 21.
• AREA OF TWY T BTN M AND E3 NOT VISIBLE FROM TOWER.
• TAXIWAY F BTN RY 10R/28L AND TWY C CLSD TO ACFT OVER 65,000 LBS.
• TAXIWAY F CLSD TO NON PART 139 ACFT WITH WINGSPAN GREATER THAN 194 FT.
• TWY F CLSD TO PART 139 ACFT WITH WINGSPAN GREATER THAN 108 FT.
• ACFT AUZ TO UTILIZE THE NORTHWEST RAMP OR THE NORTH RAMP WILL BE TOWED TO/FROM THESE RAMPS.
• AT THE WEST END ARM/DEARM AREA ON TWY C NO ACFT OF ANY TYPE MAY TAXI PAST THE ARM/DEARM AREA WHILE IT IS BEING USED.
• ARPT CLSD TO NON-POWERED ACFT EXCP IN EMERG.
• BEARING STRENGTH: RWY 03-21 ST 175, RY 10L-28R ST175, RY 10R-28L ST175.
• A-GEAR - BAK-12A(B) RWY 10R AND 28L CABLE RAISED BY BAK-14 DEVICE O/R TO TWR. NOT INSPECTED FOR OPR CAPABILITY WKEND OR HOL.
• JASU - (AM32A-60) 4(A/M32A-86) (MC-11) 1(MA-1A).
• FUEL - A (AIR BP - FLIGHTCRAFT INC., C503-331-4220) J8(MIL) (NC-100LL, A)
• FLUID - LHOXRB.
• OIL - O-128-133-148(MIL).
• MISC: FLT NOTIFICATION SVC, ADCUS, AVBL.
• ANG - PPR/OFFL BUS ONLY. BASE OPS OPR 1500-2300Z++ DLY EXC HOL; DSN 638-4390, C503-335-4390.CTC BASE OPS 15 MIN PRIOR TO LDG AND AFTER DEP ON 280.5 288.9. TRAN QTRS NOT AVBL.
• TWY 'J' CLOSED TO AIRCRAFT WITH A WINGSPAN GREATER THAN 171 FT. AIRCRAFT WITH WINGSPAN BETWEEN 125 FT AND 171 FT ON TWY 'J' MUST BE UNDER POSITIVE GUIDANCE BY EITHER TOWING OR WING WALKER.
• TWY V CLSD TO ACFT WITH WINGSPAN GREATER THAN 125 FT. ACFT BTN 118 FT & 125 FT WINGSPAN MUST BE TOWED. ACFT WITH WINGSPAN GREATER THAN 91 FT PROHIBITED FM TURNING WESTBOUIND ONTO TWY A FM TWY V UNLESS UNDER TOW.
• SEE FLIP AP/1 FOR SUPPLEMENTARY ARPT INFO.
• ANG: HAZARDOUS BIRD COND EXIST. PHASE 1 MAY-OCT, PHASE II NOV-APR. CURRENT BIRD WATCH CONDITIONS ARE NOT REPORTED ON ATIS.
• TWY A3 BETWEEN TWY A & THE GENERAL AVIATION RAMP CLSD TO ACFT WITH WINGSPAN GREATER THAN 95 FT. ACFT WITH WINGSPAN BETWEEN 79 FT AND 95 FT MUST BE TOWED.
• TWY T BTN EXITS B5 & B6 CLSD TO ACFT WITH WINGSPAN OF 118 FT AND GREATER.
• MIGRATORY & WINTERING FLOCKS OF LRG WATERFOWL ON & INVOF APRT. HEAVY SEAGULL ACTIVITY SEP THRU APR; EXPECT HIGH NMBR OF BIRDS YEAR AROUND; CK LCL ADVISORIES.
• NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES IN EFFECT; CALL NOISE OFFICE AT 503-460-4100. RY 28L ARRIVALS ARE NOISE SENSITIVE, EXPECT APCH TO 28R WITH TRANSITION TO 28L.
• 180 DEGREE TURNS BY ACFT WEIGHING IN EXCESS OF 12500 LBS PROHIBITED ON ALL RYS & TWYS.

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We thank them for the data!

General Info
Country	United States
State	OREGON
FAA ID	PDX
Latitude	45-35-19.400N
Longitude	122-35-51.000W
Elevation	30 feet
Near City	PORTLAND

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