The airport serves as one of 12 U.S.-based operating bases forSouthwest Airlines. In 2023, BWI recorded 12,849,636 passenger enplanements, making it thebusiest airport in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area, ranked at #23 in passenger enplanements in the U.S., followed by Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (#24) and Washington/Dulles Int'l Airport (#26).[9]
In 2024, BWI ranked second in the Baltimore/Washington area with 27.06 million passengers served (slightly behind the 27.25 million passengers served at Washington/Dulles Int'l Airport), just missing the record set in 2019.
An aerial view of BWI Marshall Airport withdowntown Baltimore in the background in September 2009
Planning for a new airport on 3,200 acres (1,300 ha) to serve theBaltimore–Washington metropolitan area began in 1944, just prior to the end ofWorld War II, when the Baltimore Aviation Commission announced its decision that the best location to build a new airport would be on a 2,100-acre (850 ha) tract of land nearLinthicum Heights, Maryland.[10][11] The cost of building the airport was estimated at $9 million.[11]
Much of the land was purchased from Friendship Methodist Church in 1946,[13] and ground was broken on May 2, 1947.[14][15] Friendship Methodist Church held its last service on Easter Sunday in 1948.[16] Friendship Methodist Church was razed to make room for the new airport.[16] In addition, several pieces of land were bought,[17] and 170 bodies buried in a cemetery were moved.[18]Baltimore–Fort Meade Road was moved to the west to make way for the airport's construction.[19]
TheOfficial Airline Guide reports 52 weekday departures from the airport as of April 1957: 19Eastern, 12Capital, 8American, fourNational, threeTWA, threeUnited, twoDelta, and oneAllegheny. The departures included a couple nonstop flights toMiami, but westward nonstop flights did not reach beyondOhio. The airport's reach expanded when jet service started. The early Boeing 707s and Douglas DC-8s could not useWashington National Airport, andDulles International Airport, which opened in 1962, had not yet opened, so Baltimore became Washington, D.C.'s jet airport from May 1959 to June 1959, when American and TWA began transcontinental 707 flights.[22] By 1963, Friendship Int'l Airport was equipped with a 9,450 foot (2,880 m) runway, which could handle any commercial jet aircraft at that time.[23]
In 1972, theMaryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) purchased Friendship International Airport from the City of Baltimore for $36 million.[24] Under MDOT, theMaryland State Aviation Administration took over airfield operations, and the airport grew from three employees to more than 200. Plans to upgrade, improve, and modernize all Maryland airport facilities were announced almost immediately byHarry Hughes, then Maryland Secretary of Transportation and laterGovernor of Maryland.
In 1974, the first phase of the airport's modernization was completed at a cost of $30 million. Upgrades included improved instrument landing capabilities and runway systems, and construction of three new air cargo terminals, expanding the airport's freight capacity to 2.53 acres (1.02 ha).[26]
In 1979, the terminal renovation program was completed, representing the most dramatic work of the airport's modernization, which was designed byDMJM along with Peterson & Brickbauer.[28] The renovations more than doubled the size of BWI's terminal to 14.58 acres (5.90 ha), and the number of gates increased from 20 to 27. The total cost was $70 million. To continue the work, the BWI Development Council was established to support initiatives for airport development.[26]
In 1980, theBWI Rail Station opened, providing a connection for passengers on theNortheast Corridor throughAmtrak. BWI was the first airport in the U.S. with a dedicated intercity rail station.[29] The station provided rail transit access to Washington, D.C., something that Dulles International Airport did not achieve until late 2022.
BWI added a new international terminal (Concourse E), designed by STV Group and William Nicholas Bodouva & Associates, in 1997.[30][31] Dulles, though, continues to hold the lion's share of the region's international flights. BWI has not attracted as many long-haul international carriers.[32]
Over the first half of the 1990s, runway 15L/33R was extended 1,800 feet (550 m) from 3,199 ft (975 m) to its current length of 5,000 ft (1,500 m), allowing it to be used by small passenger jets like theBoeing 737.[36]
Beginning in the 1980s and for much of the 1990s, BWI was a hub forPiedmont Airlines and successorUS Airways, but that airline's financial problems in the wake of thedot-com bust, theSeptember 11 attacks, and low fare competition forced it to cut back. The airport has been a haven forlow-cost flights in the Baltimore/Washington Metropolitan Area sinceSouthwest Airlines' arrival in September 1993[37] and subsequent expansion in the early 2000s. Southwest is the airport's largest carrier, accounting for 56.12% of the airport's passengers in 2011.[38] Southwest Airlines currently serves on average 245 daily departures to the U.S.,Mexico, and theCaribbean.
In January 2000, the BWIUSO opened, the largest in the world at that time.Space-A flights operated by theU.S. Air Force'sAir Mobility Command continue to have a significant presence at BWI. Flights fromRamstein Air Base andJoint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst occur frequently. The facility serves 99 percent of military personnel traveling to and from duty stations in Europe, Southwest Asia, and the United States.[39][40]
In July 2000,Ghana Airways began service from BWI toAccra.[41] The airline operated the flight with McDonnell Douglas DC-10s and sought to serve the many people of West African origin residing in the region.[42][43][44]
Four years later, in July 2004, theU.S. federal government prohibited Ghana Airways from flying to the U.S. According to officials, the company was operating on an expired license and had disobeyed orders to stop flying an unsafe plane.[43][45]
In 2005, to accommodate Southwest's extensive presence at the airport, Concourses A and B were expanded, renovated, and integrated with one another to house all of that airline's operations there for their major operating base. The new facility, designed byURS Corporation, opened on May 22, 2005. On October 1 of that year, the airport was renamedBaltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, to honor formerU.S. Supreme Court justiceThurgood Marshall, a native ofBaltimore.[46][47]
In June 2006,North American Airlines introduced a link to Accra viaBanjul,The Gambia, marking the restoration of direct flights between Baltimore andAfrica.[48][49] The carrier employed Boeing 767s on the route.[50] Afterward, it made the Accra flight nonstop and added a route to Lagos. North American ended all scheduled service in May 2008.[48][51]
In 2008,Health magazine named BWI the second-healthiest airport in the United States.[52] In 2009 the airport had a six percent increase in air travelers due to the proliferation of discount flights.[53] In a 2009 survey of airport service quality by Airports Council International, BWI was the world's top ranking airport in the 15-to-25-million-passenger category.[54] BWI also ranked seventh, in medium-sized airports, based on customer satisfaction conducted byJ.D. Power and Associates.[55]
On August 5, 2014, the airport's little-used runway, 04–22, was permanently closed.[56] It was 6,000 feet (1,800 meters) long and used primarily when the main runways needed to be closed for repairs. The last operation on the runway was aSouthwest Airlines flight fromChicago Midway Airport, which arrived at 4:18 AM.[57]
In 2015,Norwegian Air Shuttle announced it would begin flights from the airport toGuadeloupe andMartinique. In an interview withThe Baltimore Sun, Norwegian Air Shuttle CEO Bjorn Kjos said, "Baltimore is high on the list for long-haul destinations", hinting at further expansion into Europe. In mid-2018, however, the airline ceased all flights out of Baltimore, attributing the cessation to heavy financial losses.
In early 2016, a partnership between the airport andTowson University'sWTMD radio station was announced, including a new concert series that takes place at the terminal's baggage claim on the lower level.[58] Local bands includedWye Oak and others. The new series followed the release event ofAnimal Collective's new albumPainting With on November 25, 2015, where the new album was streamed throughout the airport.
In late 2018, construction began on a $60 million, five-gate expansion of terminal A forSouthwest Airlines.[59] The new expansion began operations in 2021.[60] 2018 also marked a new annual record for passenger traffic at BWI Marshall Airport with over 27.1 million passengers.[61]
On January 26, 2023,Copa Airlines announced they would start operating direct flights toPanama City, making it the firstCentral America-based airline to operate out of the airport. The flights began as scheduled in late June 2023.[64]
In August 2024,Icelandair announced that they would be partnering withSouthwest Airlines to better connect their customers, and that the initial North American gateway between the airlines would be BWI.[65]
In October 2022, a proposed renovation and expansion to BWI Airport was announced. It has been described as the "largest capital project in the history of BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport". This project includes major upgrades to the airports' Baggage Handling System as well as a renovation and expansion to the airports' A/B Connector, which will provide passengers with a direct connection between concourses A and B.[67][68]
The project (according to airport management as well asClark Construction, the company hired for the project) is expected to "transform the customer experience by adding a direct connection between concourses, expanding airline hold rooms, creating new food and retail concession spaces, enhancing restrooms, and introducing a new, fully in-line baggage handling system for Southwest." The project is estimated to cost $425 million and is expected to be fully completed in summer 2026.[69]
BWI Airport covers 3,160 acres (4.9 sq mi; 12.8 km2) of land[70][71] and has three active runways:[72][73]
Runway 10/28: 10,503 ft × 150 ft (3,201 m × 46 m). Runway 28 is the main takeoff runway, unless wind conditions require takeoffs from Runway 15R. Runway 10 is equipped withILS category IIIB, and runway 28 is equipped with ILS category I.
Runway 15R/33L: 9,501 ft × 150 ft (2,896 m × 46 m): Runway 33L is the main landing runway, unless wind or fog conditions require landings on Runway 10 with its higher ILS rating. The Thomas A. Dixon Aircraft Observation Area at Friendship Park overlooks Runway 33L. Equipped withILS category I in both directions.
Runway 15L/33R: 5,000 ft × 100 ft (1,524 m × 30 m). Main runway for general aviation and smaller commercial aircraft. Originally 3,200 ft (980 m), it was extended in the 1990s and is able to handle emergency landings byBoeing 737 aircraft, by far the most popular plane at the airport. Equipped withILS category I in both directions.
Baltimore/Washington International Airport has five concourses with 78 gates. Of these, 14 are international (all 11 gates in Concourse E are international gates, five of E's gates are arrival-only, and three gates in Concourse D are also international gates).[74]
Security check area near Concourse A/B/C
Concourse A/B has 30 gates. Both are of exclusive use for Southwest.[74]
Concourse C has 14 gates. Used by Southwest, American and Bermudair.[74]
Concourse D has 23 gates. Used by all non-Southwest and American domestic flights.[74]
Concourse E has 11 gates. Used for all international flights.
Cargo Concourse The airport's cargo concourse covers a 395,000 sq ft (36,700 m2) area. Its facilities include a 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2) cargo building in the Midfield Cargo Complex, including a 200,000 square feet warehouse used for Amazon Air, aforeign trade zone, a 17 acres (6.9 ha) air cargo ramp, and ramp parking for 17 aircraft with direct nose-in access for eight freighters.
BWI was ranked one of the "Top 10 Easiest U.S. Airports to Get to" byAviation.com in 2007.[75]
BWI is located at the southeast terminus ofInterstate 195, a spur route providing connections to theBaltimore–Washington Parkway andInterstate 95. The airport has a variety of parking options, ranging from a garage within walking distance to the concourses to remote parking lots that require shuttles to access.
Alight rail station, with service to downtown Baltimore and other locations via Baltimore Light RailLink, is located next to Concourse E.
Amtrak andMARC trains regularly serve theBWI Rail Station, located on airport grounds but about a mile from the terminal, with free shuttle bus service connecting the destinations.[76] Trains on Amtrak'sNortheast Corridor,Acela, and MARC'sPenn Line stop at the station and proceed to destinations includingUnion Station in Washington, D.C. andPenn Station in Baltimore.[77]
Some former ground transportation services have been discontinued, includingbicycle-sharing system from the Boston-based companyZagster[80] and the Washington Metro's B30 bus, which was an express service toGreenbelt station.
The airport's Thomas A Dixon Jr. Aircraft Observation Area
In 1985, theBWI Business District was established as a way to formalize businesses and hotels operating adjacent to the airport. The district comprises two smaller districts located to the north (West Nursery Hotel District) and west (Stoney Run District) of the airport. Numerous traveler resources and employment centers are located within both districts, such as theBWI Rail Station and BWI Rental Car Facility in the Stoney Run District, and theBWI Business District Light Rail Station, theNSAFriendship Annex, and dozens of hotel facilities in the West Nursery District.
AU.S. Department of Homeland Security facility is located in the lower level of the main terminal, near the international arrivals area / Concourse E Baggage Claim. This facility also includes a Global Entry Enrollment Center, as well as a TSA PreCheck enrollment facility.
In the early 1990s, BWI Airport opened the Thomas A. Dixon Aircraft Observation Area at Friendship Park. The observation plaza features a playground and a terrace overlooking the southern approach to the airport's 15R-33L runway.[81] From this vantage point, several planes can be viewed simultaneously as they prepare for landing. The southern loop of the 13.3 mileBWI Trail travels through the park, providing cyclist and pedestrian access to the park.
In addition to the Thomas A. Dixon Aircraft Observation Area, which provides spotters with views of aircraft landing on runway 33L, spotters can use one of several parking garages to view arrivals to runway 15R, with some arrivals appearing to be below the spotter.
On March 25, 1953, aUSAFNorth American B-25 Mitchell, aircraft serial # 44–29864, crashed 3 miles SE ofGlen Burnie, Maryland on approach to then Friendship Int'l Airport because of weather factors. All three occupants on board were killed. This was the first fatal accident at or near the airport since its opening in July 1950.[127][128][129][130][131]
On January 2, 1973, aPiedmont AirlinesNAMC YS-11 (registration unknown) with 4 occupants on board was intended to be hijacked. One passenger remained on board after landing at BWI and demanded to be taken toCanada. A Roman Catholic cardinal and anFBI agent talked the individual into surrendering. There were no injuries or fatalities.[132]
On February 22, 1974,Samuel Byck entered BWI, shot and killed an aviation police officer and stormed ontoDelta Air Lines Flight 523. He killed the first officer and severely wounded the captain. He intended to hijack the plane and crash it into theWhite House. A gunfight ensued, and Byck was mortally wounded by a police officer from outside the aircraft. Byck killed himself before police stormed the aircraft.[133] The attempted hijacking was later portrayed in the 2004 film,The Assassination of Richard Nixon, withSean Penn andNaomi Watts.
On January 9, 1985, aWestinghouse Electric CorporationNorth American Sabreliner on short final nosed down into the displaced threshold of runway 33L, causing the aircraft to bounce and collapsing the landing gear after settling on the runway. Both occupants survived, but the aircraft was substantially damaged.[134]
On December 10, 1992, aVolpar Turboliner operated byConnie Kalitta Services crashed 3 miles (4.8 km) west of BWI inElkridge due to a shift in cargo in the aircraft during final approach. The sole occupant, the pilot, was killed.[135]
On May 6, 2009, aWorld Airways DC-10-30 with registration N139WA operating as Flight 8535 from Leipzig, Germany for the Military Airlift Command experienced a hard landing at BWI. As a result of the captain's response to the hard landing, the plane's nose wheel struck the runway hard two times. The aircraft blew one of its front tires and had to execute a go-around before landing successfully. Several passengers were injured, including the first officer, who suffered back trauma. The age of the aircraft (29 years 11 months at the time of the accident) and the extent of damage to the front landing gear and fuselage resulted in the aircraft being written off. The aircraft was parted out and is now used on-site for fire/rescue training and practice purposes.[136]
On December 12, 2014,Southwest Airlines Flight 3118, aBoeing 737-700, encountered multiple bird strikes while on approach to BWI. There were no injuries to the 145 passengers and crew, but the aircraft was substantially damaged. There was damage to the 178 forward pressure bulkhead and left wing fixed leading edge main rib. The plane was repaired and placed back into service.[137]
On August 4, 2016,Southwest Airlines Flight 149, aBoeing 737-300 bound for Atlanta Int'l Airport, suffered a failure of the nose landing gear during pushback at BWI because of the tug operators excessive speed during pushback. The nose gear collapsed in a forward direction, causing severe damage to the gear structure, the nose gear wheel and crushing the forward bulkhead. There were no injuries among the 6 crew and 129 passengers but the aircraft, which was 23 years old at the time of the incident, was substantially damaged and written off.[138]
On February 7, 2020, aMountain Air CargoCessna 208 Caravan, operating forFedEx, was conducting aninstrument landing system (ILS) approach in night meteorological conditions to runway 10 at BWI. After landing safely, it was discovered the pilot struck four separate approach light towers as well as a localizer antenna, causing substantial damage to the plane's empennage, right horizontal stabilizer, right wing strut, and front cargo pod. A piece of an approach light was also caught on the plane's right landing gear. The aircraft was substantially damaged, but repaired and placed back into service.[139]
On September 14, 2024, aPiper PA-32 Cherokee Six crashed just off the departure end of runway 15L, thegeneral aviation runway at BWI. The pilot and two passengers on board did not sustain any major injuries, but the aircraft did sustain substantial damage.[140]
^"About MDOT MAA".BWIairport.com.Archived from the original on February 6, 2019. RetrievedFebruary 16, 2019.The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Aviation Administration (MDOT MAA) is the owner and operator of BWI Marshall Airport (BWI) and Martin State Airport (KMTN).
^"Airport Farm Value Listed At $14,000 By City Appraiser".The Baltimore Sun. January 7, 1947. p. 6.
^"City to Move 170 Bodies: Will Pay To Transfer Those Buried On Airport Site".The Baltimore Sun. September 27, 1946. p. 19.
^"City Will Pay for Road Shift: Meade Highway Runs Through Projected New Airport".The Baltimore Sun. October 6, 1946. p. 18.
^"Cooperation Built Airport, Truman Says: President Dedicates Baltimore Project; Praises Aid Programs Truman Lauds Cooperation".The Washington Post. June 25, 1950.
^Tkacik, Christina (March 2, 2023)."BWI is a gem among East Coast airports. (Sorry, Dulles.)".The Baltimore Banner.Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. RetrievedMarch 17, 2023.Only a fraction of Dulles' sheer geographic size, BWI serves fewer international destinations. As former Oriole Adam Jones responded to me via Twitter, "Dulles is waaaaaaay out the way. But Dulles has a lot more international flights. So there's a trade off." Another commenter called BWI "utterly useless" for those "trying to leave North America."
^"Aer Lingus Launches 'Quick Trips'".Irish Voice. New York. November 25, 2003. p. 8.
^"How to Fly Military Space-A via BWI".Poppin' Smoke. October 24, 2019. Archived fromthe original on October 9, 2021. RetrievedMarch 17, 2023.Although it's a civilian airport, it has more missions to and from Ramstein AB than any other location in the U.S.
^"Lancaster's Hometown Airline to Serve Washington-Dulles".Aviation Pros. April 19, 2021.Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. RetrievedMarch 17, 2023.Southern Airways Express, the hometown airline of Lancaster, PA since 2016, is moving its East Coast hub from Baltimore to Washington Dulles International Airport.
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