Logan Airport History

Photo of Eastern passenger plane at Logan Airport in the 1950's.

Originally called Boston Airport, Logan opened on September 8, 1923, and was used primarily by the Massachusetts Air Guard and the Army Air Corps.

At that time, it was known as Jeffery Field. The first scheduled commercial passenger flights were made by Colonial Air Transport between Boston and New York City in 1927.

The airport has expanded over the years, including the addition of 1,800 acres built on landfill in Boston Harbor and the incorporation of the former Governors and Apple Islands. As a consequence the airport is almost entirely surrounded by water.

In 1952, the airport became the first in the United States with an indirect rapid transit connection. In 1956, the state renamed the airport as General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport after a Spanish-American War hero from South Boston.

The era of the jumbo jet began at Logan during the summer of 1970 when Pan Am inaugurated daily Boeing 747 service to London Heathrow Airport. Non-stop flights to London now are scheduled by British Airways, American Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.

When Terminal E opened in 1974, it was the second largest international arrivals facility in the United States. Since that time the number of international travelers using Logan has tripled. International long-haul travel has been the fastest growing market sector at Logan and has led the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) to embark on a major airport renewal project.

The international terminal at Logan has been completely modified and upgraded in recent years. Terminal E is a common-use facility, meaning all ticket counters and gates are shared among the international carriers.

On April 9, 2008, Massport announced that Grand China Airlines had formally applied to the Civil Aviation Administration of China for approval to operate daily non-stop passenger flights to Boston from Beijing using Boeing 787 aircraft. According to Massport, due to delays in production of the 787, the service is not likely to begin before 2010.

History Source: Wikipedia.