Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport at 70

THE EVOLUTION OF BWI THROUGH AERIAL IMAGES

This year, Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport is celebrating its 70th anniversary. On June 24th, 1950, President Harry S. Truman dedicated "Friendship International Airport". 

In this post, we feature a series of aerial images showcasing the spectacular growth of the passenger terminal at "BWI" through the decades.

An aerial view of Friendship Airport around the time of opening in 1950. Scheduled airline service began one month after opening. At the time, the airport was viewed as the most advanced in the United States.

An aerial view taken in the late 1960s. By this time, the original terminal had been expanded in both directions and two new concourses had been added. The pier to the left of the image--Pier C--was operated by United; Pier B in the middle by Eastern, Piedmont and Allegheny Airlines; and Pier A to the right by all other airlines.

A 1985 aerial. By this time the terminal radically altered its appearance. In the late 1970s a major renovation of the terminal complex was completed. The project doubled the size of the terminal to 635,000 square feet (59,000 square meters), The number of gate positions increased from 20 to 27. By 1983, ​Pier D (right of image) had been expanded from seven to 19 gates to meet Piedmont's hub operation needs.

A mid-1980s closeup of the Piedmont hub. ​In 1989, the carrier merged into USAir.

A 1991 aerial view. A new, four-level parking garage, located in the front of the main terminal is being completed. A few years prior, the terminal had been expanded with a new commuter terminal and expansion of Pier D to handle the growth of the USAir/Piedmont hub operation.

In 1997, the Governor William Donald Schaefer International Terminal (foreground) opens. The $140 million project features light rail service on the lower level. Total passenger traffic at BWI reaches more than 14 million, a new record for the fourth consecutive year.

In 2005, the new Terminal A/B facility was officially dedicated at BWI Marshall Airport. The 510,000-square-foot facility provides 11 new gates for Southwest Airlines, which connect to 15 current gates on Concourse B, creating a compact, 26-gate concourse facility.

A magnificent evening aerial view of the BWI terminal complex taken in 2008. During this year, the airport handled over 21 million passengers.

We close with this 2016 aerial. Since then the airport has expanded even further. We are currently working on a full feature on the history of BWI, which will include the latest extensions. Make sure you sign up for our newsletter below to know when it goes online!​

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