Flightbeam Studios has recently released their rendition of San Francisco International Airport (KSFO) for Microsoft Flight Simulator, serving the San Francisco Bay Area with a yearly average of 50.1 million passengers.

Initially meant to be a temporary and experimental airport project when the city of San Francisco leased 61 hectares of land in 1927 from the Mills Estate (owned by Ogden L. Mills), it quickly became a permanent commitment with the purchase of the land and its surroundings, totaling up to 450 hectares of area. 

It was briefly used as a Coast Guard base and an Army Air Corps training and staging base during World War 2. Following the war, international air travel boomed, prompting the airport's final name change to San Francisco International Airport in 1945.

The jet age ushered in a new chapter for SFO. In the 1950s, longer runways were constructed to accommodate larger jetliners, and new terminals were built to handle the increased passenger volume and the demands of international travel.

SFO's commitment to innovation continued throughout the latter half of the 20th century. The airport embraced new technologies, such as jet bridges and baggage carousel systems, to improve passenger experience. In 1971, SFO became the first airport in the United States to have an automated people mover system, the AirTrain.

It's a hub for United Airlines (44% of the market share) and Alaska Airlines (10.66% of the market share) and is visited by multiple international carriers such as Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air China, Air France, Air New Zealand, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, KLM, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Scandinavian Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, and WestJet.

The scenery features an accurate rendition of the airport, with high-detail 4K textures, custom jetways, detailed interior modeling, custom ground clutter, performance-friendly optimization, and much more.

It's available on their shop for $19.99, requiring at least 2.54 GB of free hard disk space to install.

Stay tuned to Threshold for more flight simulation news!

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