Which Airport Leveled a Farming Community Long Before It Was Named “World’s Busiest”? — #TBT Week of March 8

In the spirit of #TBT (“Throwback Thursday,” not Brazil’s Tabatinga Airport) FlyerTalk takes a look back at the events that helped shape modern aviation. Here are just a few moments from history that changed the face of the industry during the week of March 8.

 

March 8, 1974

After an eight-year reconstruction of the former Paris North Airport, the station in the French capital once again reopened as Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG). Named after the famous French statesman, CDG opened with a single terminal and 42 gates spread across seven satellite buildings.

In 2014, CDG handled over 48 million passengers, making it the eight-busiest airport in the world.

March 9, 2011

Upon completion of its 39th and final mission, Space Shuttle Discovery successfully glided to landing at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida. At the time of its retirement, Discovery was one of the longest serving space shuttles in American history and had flown more missions than any other.

Discovery is now on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

March 10, 1944

One of the predecessors to modern-day Icelandair, Loftleiðir was founded by three young pilots who had just completed flight training in Canada. The airline’s name was derived from the Icelandic words for “air” and “way.”

Four years after its founding, Loftleiðir was permitted to operate in the U.S., and today, the airline is credited with pioneering the low-cost model for trans-Atlantic flights through the island nation. Loftleiðir went on to merge with competitor Flugfélag Akureyrar in 1979, thus forming Icelandair.

March 11, 1993

The brand-new, German-assembled Airbus A321 celebrated its first flight. The four-hour flight from Hamburg was hailed a success, and the aircraft received its EASA certification at the end of the year.

Today, upwards of 1,000 A321 are flying around the world and Airbus has received a total of more than 2,000 orders for the aircraft.

March 12, 2008

In a major move by an American carrier, Southwest Airlines grounded 44 aircraft over allegations they were flying without proper inspection. Although some of the aircraft were cleared by the end of the day, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee proceeded to investigate the situation, calling on the airline and the Federal Aviation Administration to testify.

The grounding caused a minor disruption in the airlines overall scheduling, with four percent of flights cancelled as a result.

March 13, 1914

Happy birthday to World War II flying ace Edward “Butch” O’Hare. As a combat aviator in the Pacific Theater, O’Hare’s greatest achievement came when he was credited with shooting down nine Japanese bombers while defending his aircraft carrier, a valorous feat which earned him the Medal of Honor. Tragically, O’Hare’s career was cut short at 29, when his airplane was shot down in 1943.

In 1949, Chicago’s Orchard Field Airport — built over a small farming community known as Orchard Place in 1945 — was renamed Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in the ace’s honor.

March 14, 1960

Shortly after completing an aggressive expansion in April 1959, Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) was named the busiest airport in the U.S. by the Federal Aviation Administration. In 1959, ORD handled over 10 million passengers and 400,000 aircraft.

By 1962, after taking over operations from neighboring Chicago Midway Airport, ORD declared itself as the “World’s Busiest Airport” — a title that would later be taken away by Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL).

 

[Photo: Calumet 412]