Oakland International Airport

Oakland International Airport {{airport codes|OAK|KOAK}} is located in Oakland, California and serves the San Francisco Bay Area metro region. The airport serves numerous destinations in the United States, as well as Mexico.

History

Construction of the airport began in 1927, and the airport was dedicated by Charles Lindbergh that September. In its early days, Oakland was the departing point of several historic flights, including Charles Kingsford Smith's historic US-Australia flight in 1928, and Amelia Earhart's final flight in 1937.

Related Topics:
1927 - Charles Lindbergh - Charles Kingsford Smith - 1928 - Amelia Earhart - 1937

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Boeing Air Transport (a predecessor of United Airlines) began scheduled flights to Oakland in December 1927. It was joined by Trans World Airlines in 1932.

Related Topics:
United Airlines - Trans World Airlines

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In 1943, the U.S. Armed Forces took over Oakland Airport and transformed it into an airlift base for military flights to the Pacific islands, ordering all scheduled service to move to San Francisco International Airport. After the war, airlines slowly returned to Oakland: Western Airlines began flights in 1946, and was followed by American Airlines, TWA, and PSA.

Related Topics:
San Francisco International Airport - Western Airlines - American Airlines - PSA

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During the Vietnam War, World Airways shuttled thousands of military passengers through Oakland to their bases in Southeast Asia. After the war, Oakland's traffic slumped, but airline deregulation prompted several low-fare carriers to begin regional flights into the airport.

Related Topics:
Vietnam War - World Airways - Airline deregulation

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FedEx opened a cargo base in Oakland in 1988, which is now one of the busiest air freight terminals in the United States. In the 1990s, Southwest Airlines opened a crew base in Oakland, and expanded its flights to become the airport's dominant passenger carrier.

Related Topics:
FedEx - 1988 - Southwest Airlines

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