CogKnoSys

Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea below, then step up to the general, across to peers or down to the specific.

Physical

Portland International Airport

Portland International Airport (PDX) is Oregon's largest airport, a joint civil and military airport in Portland just south of the Columbia River.

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The idea

Portland International Airport, often called by its code PDX, is the largest airport in Oregon. It is a joint civil and military airport inside Portland's city limits, just south of the Columbia River and 12 miles by highway northeast of downtown. The airport covers 3,000 acres.

PDX has direct flights to cities across the United States and in several other countries. It is a hub for Alaska Airlines and has a maintenance facility for Horizon Air. In May 2025 Alaska began shifting connecting flights from Seattle to Portland to ease crowding at Seattle–Tacoma. The Oregon Air National Guard has a base on the southwest part of the airport grounds. The MAX Red Line light rail carries passengers between the airport and downtown Portland.

Building the airport was a Great Depression jobs project, and workers spread over 4 million cubic yards of sand to drain the low, flood-prone land. In 1948 the Vanport Flood covered the entire airport, and the grounds stayed under water for several months. An H-shaped terminal with new concourses reflecting a Northwest theme, centered on the nearby Columbia River, was completed on September 10, 2001. The airport's original carpet became a local icon after a new design began replacing it in 2014, and residents celebrated it on all kinds of products.

Check yourself

Question 1 of 2

In what year did the Vanport Flood cover the entire airport?

Pick one. The first pick counts.

Composition

what it's made of

  • Concourses — An expanded Concourse B replaced Concourse A, which was torn down in November 2019.
  • Runways — Including a south runway extended to 11,000 feet in 1974 for jumbo jets.
  • Air National Guard Base — Home of the Oregon Air National Guard's 142nd Wing on the southwest side of the field.
  • MAX Red Line — Light rail linking the airport to downtown Portland and farther west to Beaverton and Hillsboro.
  • Alaska Airlines Hub — Alaska Airlines bases many of its flights here.

Connection

how it relates

Under Lower Columbia Bridges and Transportation

In place

  1. Columbia Riverstrength 70 of 100

    The airport sits on low land just south of the Columbia River, which often flooded the site before dikes were built.

  2. Portland, Oregonstrength 60 of 100

    PDX lies within Portland's city limits, northeast of downtown.

  3. Mount Hoodstrength 30 of 100

    Travelers at the curb once had views of Mount Hood until a new canopy blocked them in the late 1990s.

Related

  1. Port of Portlandstrength 60 of 100

    In December 2016 the Port of Portland renovated the airport's security checkpoints and immigration facilities.

Change

how and why it evolves

Past
Portland's first airport was on Swan Island; the city bought the present site in 1936, and the new airport opened on October 13, 1940, as Portland-Columbia Airport.
Now
Phase one of the new main terminal opened on August 14, 2024, and the whole terminal was declared complete on June 30, 2026.
Next
As air travel grows, the airport will likely keep adding space and improving transit links.

Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea, then step up, across or down.

Portland International Airport

Portland International Airport (PDX) is Oregon's largest airport, a joint civil and military airport in Portland just south of the Columbia River.

See it on the map

Learn, discuss, create, buy or invest

The idea

Portland International Airport, often called by its code PDX, is the largest airport in Oregon. It is a joint civil and military airport inside Portland's city limits, just south of the Columbia River and 12 miles by highway northeast of downtown. The airport covers 3,000 acres.

PDX has direct flights to cities across the United States and in several other countries. It is a hub for Alaska Airlines and has a maintenance facility for Horizon Air. In May 2025 Alaska began shifting connecting flights from Seattle to Portland to ease crowding at Seattle–Tacoma. The Oregon Air National Guard has a base on the southwest part of the airport grounds. The MAX Red Line light rail carries passengers between the airport and downtown Portland.

Building the airport was a Great Depression jobs project, and workers spread over 4 million cubic yards of sand to drain the low, flood-prone land. In 1948 the Vanport Flood covered the entire airport, and the grounds stayed under water for several months. An H-shaped terminal with new concourses reflecting a Northwest theme, centered on the nearby Columbia River, was completed on September 10, 2001. The airport's original carpet became a local icon after a new design began replacing it in 2014, and residents celebrated it on all kinds of products.

Check yourself

2 quick questions, instant feedback.