11/19/2025

Pittsburgh’s Airport Just Got a Nature-focused Makeover

A new design "rightsizes" the airport while creating a rare amount of open space

Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) was never really meant to serve Pittsburgh. When the modern airport opened in 1992, it was built as a hub for U.S. Airways, primarily serving as a connection point for passengers heading elsewhere. Tens of millions of passengers used PIT annually, though only a small number of them were actually flying into or out of Greater Pittsburgh. Most stayed in the terminal, leaving one gate only to enter another, which was fine—until it wasn't.

"In 2004, the hub went away. Passengers plummeted. All those connecting passengers left," said Christina Cassotis, who came on as CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority in 2015. After years of waiting for the hub, or any hub, to return, the airport authority decided it was time to accept that what PIT had become is an airport meant for people flying into or out of Pittsburgh.

"We needed the facility to match the business plan,” Cassotis added.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Fast Company.