Palm Springs International

A Legacy of Private Aviation

In 1939, the US Army Air Corps built an emergency landing field on land owned by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. Improvements began in 1941, as the area was deemed essential to national defense by the War Department. In November of that year, the Air Corps Ferrying Command 21st Ferrying Group approved the airport to act as a staging field. Further, the land was acquired half a mile from the area to build a significant airfield, relegating the original lot as a backup. The new airfield was called Palm Springs Army Airfield, and it opened in 1942. Training at the airport was by the 72d and 73d Ferrying Squadrons, and they practiced long-distance over-water flying and navigation. Later training also involved pursuit piloting by the IV Fighter Command 459th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron (they used P-51 Mustangs, P-40 Warhawks, and P-38 Lightnings). The trainings were moved on June 1st, 1944, and the airfield was used for Army and Navy transport flights until the end of April 1945, at which point the airport was declared excess and transferred to the War Assets Administration in 1946 and sold to private buyers. In 1961 the land was purchased by the City of Palm Springs and converted into Palm Springs Municipal Airport. Passenger service to Palm Springs initially flew to Union Air Terminal (now Hollywood Burbank Airport) in Burbank. These were operated by Palm Springs Airlines, Western Airlines, and Bonanza Airlines. Later flights to Palm Springs were operated by Air West, Hughes Airwest, American (flying Boeing 707 jetliners), and TWA. In 1987 Western merged into Delta Air Lines, which continued to serve Palm Springs. There were other smaller airlines also operating the area, as well as commuter airlines. Another runway was added in the 90s, with a new 5,000-foot runway added to the airport and the old runway being extended to 10,000 feet. The terminal was also expanded, with the Sonny Bono Concourse being added in 1999. Then, in 2007 the Southern Concourse was renovated, and an outdoor courtyard was added. At the same time, the additions allow the airport to handle jets as large as a Boeing 747, the size of the terminal limits jets to no larger than a Boeing 767. Starting in 2010, WestJet began adding service to several Canadian cities. Frontier Airlines began to service the airport in 2011 (until 2021), while Virgin America launched seasonal service in 2011 (it moved the service to year-round in 2016). A new air traffic control tower opened in 2013, replacing the old tower (in operation since 1967). A new radar-based security system was also installed to allow the airport to handle intrusions better. In September 2020, Southwest Airlines announced plans to serve Palm Springs year-round. In August 2021, the ticketing area was renovated and expanded, while a new baggage handling system was also installed.