PACSIM has recently released their rendition of Salt Lake City International Airport (KSLC) for Microsoft Flight Simulator, the busiest airport in Utah with a yearly average of 25 million passengers.

The airport was built on Basque Flats, a wide flat area on the Salt Lake Valley that was deemed appropriate for constructing a landing strip. In that same year, it held the Great International Aviation Carnival, with the presence of many aviation pioneers, including Glenn Curtiss and his newly invented Seaplane that took off from Salt Lake in front of 20,000 spectators, making international headlines.

Nine years later, the United States Postal Service began flying mail to SLC, stimulating the city’s administration to further improve the infrastructure by buying a plot of land near the airport and building a hangar and other facilities. 

The first terminal was built in 1933, costing $52,000. 

With WW2, the airport became a USAF base, eventually getting a third runway. The post-war results were primarily positive, with 42 weekday departures in 1957.

By 1960, a new terminal was needed, and Brazier Montmorency Hayes & Talbot took the challenge to design it. Seven years and 8 million dollars later, it was ready to roll. That’s also when Salt Lake City got granted its international status, with a direct flight to Calgary.

With the airline deregulation in 1978, SLC became a hub for Western Airlines, which had the same Brazier Montmorency Hayes design and build a terminal for them, with murals by artist LeConte Stewart. 

In 1987, Western Airlines merged into Delta Air Lines, with Salt Lake City remaining as one of their major hubs.

A redevelopment program was started in 2014 to modernize the airport, gradually replacing its old infrastructure. It was funded by airport funds, passenger charges, and federal grants.

The first phase of the new terminal was opened in 2020, with Concourse A sporting 25 gates and B with 21, both connected by a mid-field underground tunnel. 

As mentioned, SLC is a Delta Air Lines hub, flying passengers worldwide, directly or indirectly connecting via other hubs. They have 57.12% of the current passenger market share, followed by SkyWest with 18.77% and Southwest with 11.17%.

The scenery features an accurate rendition of the airport, with custom animated jetways, sharp PBR textures, VDGS on every gate, high-resolution orthoimagery around the airport, hand-placed vegetation, performance-friendly optimization, wear and tear on runways, taxiways, and aprons, and more.

It’s available on their official website for roughly $25.99.

Stay tuned to Threshold for more flight simulation news!

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