How Pittsburgh Helped the Nation Fly

In 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright came to Pittsburgh. They had an idea for a heavier-than-air aircraft but needed a cutting-edge solution from The Pittsburgh Reduction Co. – now called Alcoa – to make it work.

“It wouldn’t have been possible without Pittsburgh innovation,” said Andy Masich, president and CEO of the Heinz History Center.

It wasn’t the last time Pittsburgh proved it was a leader in aviation innovation and with the opening of its new terminal next year, is set to make history again.

“If you take a look at the innovation that has come out of this community, it has impacted the whole world,” said Christina Cassotis, CEO of Pittsburgh International Airport. “We intend to see that happen again through the lens of aviation and what we can do for that industry.

“It’s a story about the history, but also the future and where we’re going.”

93 years and counting

November is National Aviation History Month – a time to recognize the industry’s evolution and innovation. Pittsburgh is a pivotal part of that story.

The new PIT marks the latest chapter in the region’s growing influence in the aviation industry that started even before Pittsburgh’s first airport opened its doors.

In 1931, the opening of Allegheny County Airport (AGC) officially cemented Pittsburgh’s prominent role in the industry.

At the time, AGC was the third largest airport in the country. It was a marvel of its time with its art-deco architecture and miles of hard surface runway.

But as demand for air travel increased, the larger planes could no longer be accommodated at AGC. Before it was replaced by Greater Pittsburgh Airport in 1952, nearly 1.2 million passengers had flown through AGC.

As the region’s primary airport, Greater Pittsburgh Airport had the largest terminal in the country. It reflected the best of the region with many innovations that revolutionized the aviation industry. The building even featured escalators, a first for its time.

Thirty years later, things changed again when US Airways made Pittsburgh a hub – sparking the creation of the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport in 1992.

“We had around 21 million passengers,” said Paul Hoback, chief development officer at PIT and a 20-plus year veteran of the airport. “Most of those were just connecting passengers. There were people who never left the airside terminal.”

When US Airways filed for bankruptcy in 2004 and pulled its hub from Pittsburgh, the airport was forced to pivot again and shift its focus to serving its local traveler base.

“It took someone like Christina coming in and saying, ‘Why are you trying to be that hub again? The industry’s gone past that. Let’s just be the best origin-and-destination airport we can be,’” Hoback said.

Informed by the lessons of its past, PIT has expanded its nonstop destinations from 36 to 62 cities both in and outside of the U.S., nearly doubled the number of airlines to 15 and added key West Coast destinations and international service to London on British Airways and Reykjavik on Icelandair.