El Paso International Airport, commonly referenced in searches as el paso airport, reported handling 4,038,530 passengers in 2024 with 97,737 aircraft operations, as reported by the airport's 2024 operating statistics and Federal Aviation Administration data.
The airport covers 6,670 acres and sits at an elevation of 3,961.6 feet above mean sea level, with three runways measuring 12,020 feet, 9,025 feet and 5,499 feet respectively, according to FAA records.
Terminal operations follow a pier-satellite layout with two concourses. Concourse A holds gates A1 through A4 and is used exclusively by American Airlines. Concourse B holds gates B1 through B11 and serves a mix of carriers including Southwest, United, Delta, Allegiant, Alaska and Frontier.
Passenger flows are concentrated on a handful of domestic routes. The busiest route for the June 2024 to May 2025 period was Dallas/Fort Worth, followed by Phoenix Sky Harbor and Denver, according to airport traffic rankings for that period.
Carrier share for June 2024 to May 2025 shows Southwest as the dominant operator with roughly half of passengers, followed by American and regional partners SkyWest and Mesa Airlines, as reported in the airport's traffic breakdown.
History Operations And Safety Record
The site traces roots to a 1928 municipal field east of the Franklin Mountains and to a 1929 facility built as Standard Airport for transcontinental air mail service. In 1936 the City of El Paso and American Airlines completed a swap that established the airport in its current legacy.
During World War II the field served as an Army Air Forces training base, hosting the 385th, 491st and 497th Bombardment Groups for periods in 1942 and 1943, according to military historical records cited in airport materials.
Accident records and news reports document several incidents over decades. A 1957 USAF C-124 struck the ground in poor weather with five fatalities among 15 occupants, as recorded by the Aviation Safety Network. Separate reports note a 1982 Douglas C-47 crash during a return to El Paso, a 1988 Rockwell Aero Commander crash in instrument conditions that killed three, and a 2006 maintenance fatality involving a Continental Airlines Boeing 737 preflight inspection.
More recent operational notes include a 2015 event in which a Southwest jet was directed to land on a runway closed for construction but missed equipment by mere feet, and a 2018 diversion when an American Airlines A319 arrived after hail damage, with no injuries reported.
The airport maintains general aviation fixed base operators and public transit links. Sun Metro routes connect the terminal to the city, while the facility continues to list air service to regional hubs and seasonal leisure destinations in its published route map.
