Tucson International Airport (TUS)
History, Facts and Overview
(Tucson, Arizona - AZ, USA)
Although planes took to the skies over Tucson as early as 1910, it was not until 1919 that the city opened the country's very first municipal airport, on the site of today's Rodeo grounds. In 1927, it had become necessary to relocate Tucson Municipal Airport to a large site nearby.
In the 1940s, a large part of Tucson Airport was given to the war department and this site became the Davis Monthan Air Force Base of today. However, it soon became clear that Tucson Municipal Airport again needed to be moved and an area of around 2,500 acres / 1,000 hectares was chosen on the southern side of the city. Next aircraft carriers began operating here in the 1950s and in 1958, a tall control tower was completed and in 1963, a new terminal building opened, being drastically remodeled some 20 years later.
Many discount carriers began operating at Tucson International Airport (TUS) during the 1990s, when plane fares were at their most competitive. As a result of the cheap flights, passenger levels rose by around 25% in 1994 and reached more than three million in the year 2000.
Facilities and services at Tucson Airport include cash machines on Level 2, a lost property service, post boxes and stamp machines on each concourse and first-aid facilities. There are a variety of shops throughout the airport terminal, such as three outlets of the Paradies Desert House, and a PGA Tour Shop. Restaurants and food courts can be found on each concourse, such as the Arizona Sports Grill, Carmella's Kitchen Gourmet Pizza, Taco Bron and the Sky Asian Bistro.
Other facilities include a shoeshine service, rotating art exhibitions throughout the terminal and a military lounge, which is situated on Level 2. Conference rooms are available on Level 3 of the terminal at Tucson Airport, while the lost property office has telephone, fax, photocopy and notary services, as do the information centers in the Baggage Reclaim area. There is also a popular Internet café on the East Concourse and dataports throughout the terminal.
