The Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is commonly referred to as BWI or BWI Airport, because BWI also stands for “Baltimore/Washington International”. The airport is located in Linthicum, Maryland.

The Master plan to build a new airport to serve Baltimore/Washington area began just after the end of the Second World War in around the year 1946. It was originally called Friendship International Airport mainly because it was located near Friendship Church, 10 miles south of Baltimore and 30 miles north of Washington, D.C. Friendship International Airport was dedicated on June 24, 1950, by President Harry Truman and was in operation by the following month itself. It was later in the year 1972 when, The State of Maryland, through the Maryland Department of Transportation purchased Friendship International Airport from the City of Baltimore for $36 million. This was a very important phase in the airports history. The airport under the administration of Maryland State Aviation Administration grew from a 3 to 200. The airport was modernized, upgraded and improved to meet industry standards. The airport was then renamed to Baltimore/Washington International Airport in 1973.

After the announcement of modernization by Harry Hughes the then Secretary of Transportation, work on the first phase was soon completed in the year 1974 at a cost of $30 million. This 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. The passenger terminal renovation program was complete in 1979. The total cost of project was a whooping $70 million. Soon, the BWI Rail station also opened in the year 1980, to provide a  rail connection to passengers on the busy Northeast Corridor. BWI became first airport in the U.S. to be served by a dedicated intercity rail station.

In the year 1983, the new FAA control towers were dedicated to the airport doubling space for FAA tower operations.  Modern radar and electronic equipment were also installed both in the tower and on the runway system to monitor safe arrivals and departures of aircrafts. It was in the same year that BWI was also selected as a hub facility by Piedmont Airlines because of which Pier D expanded from seven to 19 gates to meet Piedmont’s hub operation needs and requirements.

It was in the same year that the New General Aviation centre opened to meet the needs of private and corporate aircraft users. This included an executive terminal, parking and hangar facilities and a 3,600-foot general aviation runway.

In the year 1984, BWI experienced its largest yearly gain in passenger traffic in 23 years, 6,675,191 passengers, an increase of 28.4 percent compared with 1983. It was in the same year that the taxiway modifications were implemented to improve the safety and efficiency of the airfield system and soon International area of the passenger terminal expanded to handle increased international traffic. The prime focus after this was mainly on development, improvements and expansions in areas relating to parking, cargo buildings, noise abatement, maintenance and fire/rescue facilities. Repair on runways was also a matter of importance as major replacement and upgrade began on runway and taxiway lighting system. In the year 1987/88 runway 10/28 and 15L/33R was rehabilitated. Work began to lengthen the General Aviation runway at BWI to 5,000 feet to accommodate commercial commuter traffic. The security was also tightened to cope with high air traffic. In the year 1989 BWI broke all previous passenger traffic records, reaching more than one million passengers in a month for the first time (Aug.). Totaling 10.4million passengers for the year.

Soon, Iceland air began Boeing 757 service from BWI to Iceland-Stockholm. After five years of work, Interstate I-195 opened, connecting BWI directly to I-95. This greatly improved access from the Baltimore-Washington metro area.

A new four-level parking garage was introduced on opens September 16th, 1991. The total cost of the project was $29 million. The garage featured space for rental car facilities and 2,800 parking spaces to ease drop-off and pick-up traffic congestion. This was a much needed plan that finally took shape only to add to the airports glorious history. Design work began in October for new international pier, to include ticket counters, gates, federal processing facilities and a terminus for the light rail line from the Baltimore region and in the year 1992, Air Ontario, an Air Canada connector, began three daily flights from BWI to Toronto. BWI now became the first area airport to offer service to three major Canadian cities. Soon, Southwest Airlines Co. selected BWI as its first East Coast gateway airport. Service began on Sept. 15th to Cleveland and Chicago. British Airways also opened service to London’s Gatwick Airport.

In the year 1995, BWI Observation Gallery officially opened to the public with an enthusiastic response to the Gallery and the Smithsonian Museum Shop. People simply loved it and is still a favorite. The Tom Dixon Aircraft Observation Area, on Dorsey Road, also reopened with paved parking, rest room facilities and bike racks. It was in the same year when United Airlines added daily non-stop service to San Francisco, with connections to Hong Kong, Osaka, Seoul, Taipei and Tokyo. The total passenger traffic at BWI reached nearly 13.2 million, topping and eclipsing the previous mark set in 1994. The combined commercial passenger increased of 2.7percent at BWI, in 1995, exceed the 1.4 percent growth rate reported for U.S. airline traffic nationwide, as reported by the Air Transport Association (ATA). The total passenger traffic at BWI reached more than 14 million, a new record for the fourth consecutive year. BWI was at this point seeing a stastical growth and was only growing stronger to last.

The Federal Aviation Administration in the year 1997 brought new, Terminal Doppler Weather Radar System (TDWRS) on line. The TDWRS is better able to detect micro bursts and wind shear. Soon, BWI’s new, state-of-the-art Aircraft Rescue Fire-fighting Facility opened in July, housing all aircraft rescue and fire-fighting resources in one location. The staff were given adequate training to handle situations that demand attention to even the slightest sign of a security breach.  With regards to the parking facility at BWI the parking garage expansion project was soon complete the same year, providing a total of 5,600 spaces, 4,600 for public use and 1,000 spaces for rental car storage. The Governor William Donald Schaefer International Terminal opened in the same year. The $140 million project featured Light Rail service on the lower level of BWI.

The most interesting part of this airport is the BWI hiker/biker trail. The 12.5-mile recreational trail is the only one of its kind in the country that encircles the airport. Remember, this is a commercial airport. BWI also won the International Marketing Award for its innovative and effective advertising campaign in various British media outlets.

It was the year 2001. BWI was now named the fastest growing airport among the 30 busiest in North America. It also became the first airport in the U. S. to implement high-tech parking guidance system, BWI Smart Park, and the only metro-area airport with technology allowing customers to prepay for parking service (Pay-and-Go). BWI is credited with being one of the most powerful economic engines in Maryland, generating $6.5 billion and 85,000 jobs for the state’s economy. Seeing all of this, AirTran Airways joined BWI’s list of service providers with three daily non-stop flights between BWI and Boston and three daily nonstop flights between BWI and Atlanta. BWI now served two million passengers in a single month for the first time in July.

BWI becomes the first U.S. airport to have federal security screeners working at checkpoints and airline jet ways in the year 2002. The Asphalt Pavement Alliance (APA) announced BWI as a winner of the 2002 Perpetual Pavement Award. To qualify for this prestigious award, a pavement must meet strict criteria and demonstrate Hot Mix Asphalt’s long-life characteristics, excellence in design, quality in construction and value to the traveling public. It also must have been constructed at least 35 years ago. This was a great achievement to the BWI history. After this BWI went on to top honors at annual Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) Excellence in Marketing and Communications Contest in the categories of Photography, Public Relations Campaigns and Television Advertising. BWI also awarded second place in the Marketing Campaigns category and third place for Color Print Advertising. The BWI Airport Fire and Rescue Department received the 2003 American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) Valor Award. BWI’s nomination for the national honor was based on their superb performance over a 12-month period, in 2002 and 2003, when the department responded to an airfield record of 2,726 calls.

On October 1, 2005 the airport was renamed again, to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, to honor the former US Supreme Court justice, who grew up in Baltimore. An exhibit chronicling his life and career is displayed on the upper level of the BWI terminal. From the time the airport started construction way back in 1946 to until now, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, as the name stands now has had so many changes with respect to growth, modernization, and international value. Today, the airport is viewed as the most advanced in the United States.

BWI FACTS AND FIGURES:

OPERATOR: Operated by the Maryland Aviation Administration, Maryland Department of Transportation

SIZE: 3,596.3 acres

PASSENGER TERMINAL: 1.976 million square feet (45.4 acres); 5 concourses (4 domestic, 1 international/swing); 70 jet gates, 12 gates dedicated to commuter aircraft

AIR TRAFFIC

Total Number of Airlines: 52 including commuter, charter, and cargo airlines

Number of Commercial Airlines:  33

Average Number of Daily Operations: 837

Average Number of Commercial Operations per Day: 731

Average Scheduled Domestic Passenger Flights: 658

Average Charter Passenger Flights: 10

Scheduled International Nonstop Flights: 16

Average Cargo Flights: 26

PARKING SPACES

Parking facility: Spaces   Overflow Lot:

Hourly Garage 5,506   Overflow Lot   600

Express Lot 1,300   Rail Station   3,200

Daily Garage 8,400

Long-Term A&B 10,100

Total Regular 25,306

Total Spaces 29,106