Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport

Up until 1945, San Juan International Airport in Isla Grande had been the main airport for Puerto Rico. However, it was experiencing growing traffic, and there was a general need to modernize for the future, as the airport in Isla Grande did not have runways that could support the oncoming jet aircraft. Isla Verde (Carolina) was determined to be the ideal location for the new airport. The Puerto Rican government vested the power to direct air operations in the Puerto Rico Transportation Authority (later the Puerto Rico Ports Authority). Construction of the new airport began in 1947 by the Toro-Ferrer firm, who were known for having designed the Caribe Hilton Hotel and the Puerto Rico Supreme Court. The Puerto Rico International Airport was inaugurated on May 22nd, 1955, with a six-story passenger terminal, a control tower, a 7,800-foot long runway, a cargo building, fire and police stations, and a hotel (the control tower was on top of the hotel). The estimated cost was $22 million. Several expansion programs were undertaken in the 1960s, including the extension of the runway to 10,000 feet (it was reinforced and widened in 1974 to accommodate the Boeing 747, at an approximated cost of $4.2 million) and the construction of the second runway (10/28), which was completed in 1974 at the cost of $4.2 million. A two-level vehicular access system was completed on January 17th, 1983, to eliminate traffic congestion, which would separate the arrivals and departures of passengers to different levels, at an estimated cost of $9.2 million. On February 18th, 1983, the airport was renamed the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in honor of Puerto Rico’s first freely-elected governor. The 1980s saw SJU become a hub for several airlines, including Pan Am, Trans Caribbean Airways, and Eastern Air Lines. It was also a focus city for TWA for a short period of time, as well as the center for Prinair, Puerto Rico’s international airline, from 1966 to 1984 (when it went bankrupt). In order to compete with Eastern, American Airlines (together with American Eagle) set up a base at SJU. These maneuvers brought about a then-record figure of 8 million passengers to SJU in 1988. The growth of the 80s meant that expansion and modernization were needed, with several works carried out in the 90s. These included the expansion of the two-level access road to a maximum of 10 lanes on both levels, a new air traffic control tower, a parallel taxiway, and a parking garage, as well as the expansion, modification, and rehabilitation of Terminal B (the first and second phases, with the third phase occurring between 2000 and 2005), at an estimated cost of $128 million. The new millennium brought about more projects, such as a connection between terminals B and C (at the cost of $35.9 million), the remodeling of the hotel at the cost of $5 million, and the construction of a new building for the Air Rescue unit at the cost of $4.1 million. The Great Recession of 2008 (as well as the oil price shock) led America to reduce its operations at SJU, and it closed its base in 2013. Nonetheless, 2013 saw major upgrades at SJU, including the opening of the new Terminal A (currently occupied by JetBlue Airways), a consolidated security area for Terminals B, C, and D, new lighting systems, new pavements, and expansions, new press conference rooms, and new fast food restaurants.

The airport is three miles southeast of San Juan. 

• SJU is currently the only privately-owned international airport in the US or its territories. While the Ports Authority initially ran it in 2013, it was determined that the airport would be better served being run by Aerostar Airport Holdings, a private, public initiative that was awarded a 40-year contract to run SJU. This was because every time a new party was in office, management at the airport was changed, causing much disruption. Privatization has ended that. 
• SJU is currently a hub for JetBlue Airways, its busiest carrier. It is also a focus city for Silver Airways. 
• SJU is the busiest airport in the Caribbean region by passenger traffic, with over 4 million annual passenger plane boardings.