SFO · San Francisco, United States
San Francisco International Airport.
--:--:-- · PDT (UTC-07:00) · 37.6198° N, 122.3748° W
San Francisco International Airport
Airport in San Mateo County, California, United States
Verification trail
Source-backed facts for SFO
This section separates stable airport identifiers from live operating data. Codes, coordinates, timezone, elevation, source identifiers, and accepted reference links are retained here; live arrivals, departures, gates, delays, NOTAMs, and airline schedule changes must still be checked with the airport or carrier.
Airport catalog
OurAirports ID 3878; ident KSFO; scheduled service listed.
Cached airports.csv snapshot: 2026-04-25; runways.csv snapshot: 2026-05-21.
Official airport source
flysfo.com
Used as the preferred live-reference handoff for terminals, gates, alerts, and airport notices.
Open sourceReference summary
San Francisco International Airport
Airport-shaped reference summary from en.wikipedia.org; summary snapshot 2026-05-20.
Open sourceManual / derived signals
24 source-backed signals
Merged from OurAirports cached airports.csv, OurAirports cached runways.csv, Wikidata airport entity snapshot, airport-shaped Wikipedia summary snapshot, manual airport facts override; facts generated 2026-05-21.
IATA / ICAO
SFO / KSFO
OurAirports ident
KSFO
GPS / local code
KSFO / SFO
ISO region
US-CA
Scheduled service
Listed in source snapshot
Role
international scheduled-service gateway
Official host
flysfo.com
Reference host
en.wikipedia.org
Wikidata entity
Q8688
Snapshot generated
2026-05-21
Airport lookup keys
Stable codes
Regional keys
Alternate names
Nearby airport codes
Route reference codes
Accepted citation URLs
Last updated May 21, 2026. Stable airport identifiers and timezone facts are content-reviewed; clocks render live in the browser, while weather and time-difference notes are page-snapshot aids rather than permanent airport records.
Live values rendered at Nov 5, 9:24 PM UTC.
What you need to know now
Local airport time
--:--:--PDT · UTC-07:00
Time zone
PDT
America/Los_Angeles · UTC-07:00
Airfield conditions
Live airport weather is temporarily unavailable.
Surface access
18 km
Approximate distance to central San Francisco.
Airport Snapshot
Country capital
Washington, D.C.
Languages
English
Currency
USD ($)
Country area
9,525,067 km²
Passenger volume
Source note unavailable
Terminals
4 terminals
Runways
4 runways
Longest runway
11,870 ft / 3,618 m
Runway surface
asphalt (4)
Opened / operator
1927 · San Francisco Airport Commission
Owner / entity
Q8688
Hub airlines
United Airlines, Alaska Airlines
Airport role
international scheduled-service gateway
Scheduled service
Listed
Fact coverage
24 source-backed signals
San Francisco International Airport is a international scheduled-service gateway for San Francisco, United States. San Francisco's built-up core sits roughly 18 km from the terminal area. Operations run on America/Los_Angeles (UTC-07:00, PDT). Live weather is temporarily unavailable. With 4 other indexable airports in its surrounding network, it works well as a reference point for regional flight planning and timezone checks.
San Francisco International Airport (SFO / KSFO) is at 37.6198° N, 122.3748° W, elevation 13 ft (4 m), serving San Francisco, United States.
The accepted reference summary is used as supporting context for the airport identity and operating notes; the timed facts here still come from the airport catalog, timezone database, country snapshot, and linked source trail.
San Francisco is in United States (capital Washington, D.C.); regulated by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); on America/Los_Angeles (PDT, UTC-07:00); working languages: English; currency: USD ($).
Distance from central San Francisco: 18 km.
Airport context brief
A compact traveler-facing brief from the airport catalog, country snapshot, route geometry, city anchors, peer airports, and source trail for SFO.
Name and identity cues
Primary airport name
San Francisco International Airport (SFO / KSFO)
San Francisco International Airport · Airport in San Mateo County, California, United States
Known label 1
QSF
Alternate airport-name cue retained for SFO, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Known label 2
QBA
Alternate airport-name cue retained for SFO, not a separate indexable duplicate page.
Source identifiers
KSFO · KSFO · SFO · US-CA
flysfo.com · en.wikipedia.org · scheduled service yes
Source-specific airport notes
Regional role cue
San Francisco International Airport is the primary international airport serving the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S.
Accepted from the airport reference trail as a role-specific cue for SFO; not treated as a live service guarantee.
Location cue
Owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco, the airport has a San Francisco mailing address and ZIP Code, although it is situated in an unincorporated area of neighboring San Mateo County, approximately 12 miles southeast of San Francisco.
Used to make the airport page location-specific beyond the code, coordinate, and timezone record.
Closest mapped city anchors
1. Millbrae
millbrae · 2.6 km from SFO
United States · America/Los_Angeles · +0h · population 22,795 · city coordinates 37.5986, -122.3872
2. San Bruno
san-bruno · 3.4 km from SFO
United States · America/Los_Angeles · +0h · population 43,185 · city coordinates 37.6305, -122.4111
3. Burlingame
burlingame · 4.0 km from SFO
United States · America/Los_Angeles · +0h · population 30,459 · city coordinates 37.5841, -122.3661
4. South San Francisco
south-san-francisco · 4.8 km from SFO
United States · America/Los_Angeles · +0h · population 67,271 · city coordinates 37.6547, -122.4077
5. San Mateo
san-mateo · 7.7 km from SFO
United States · America/Los_Angeles · +0h · population 103,536 · city coordinates 37.5630, -122.3255
6. Pacifica
pacifica · 9.9 km from SFO
United States · America/Los_Angeles · +0h · population 39,260 · city coordinates 37.6138, -122.4869
Airport alternatives in the retained graph
1. OAK KOAK
San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport · Oakland
18 km from SFO · America/Los_Angeles · +0h · elevation 9 ft (3 m) · airport coordinates 37.7201, -122.2212
2. SJC KSJC
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport · San Jose
49 km from SFO · America/Los_Angeles · +0h · elevation 62 ft (19 m) · airport coordinates 37.3625, -121.9292
3. SMF KSMF
Sacramento International Airport · Sacramento
138 km from SFO · America/Los_Angeles · +0h · elevation 27 ft (8 m) · airport coordinates 38.6954, -121.5910
4. FAT KFAT
Fresno Yosemite International Airport · Fresno
253 km from SFO · America/Los_Angeles · +0h · elevation 336 ft (102 m) · airport coordinates 36.7758, -119.7180
Route-time reference set
1. SFO-SMF
Sacramento · 138 km · 1h 0m
America/Los_Angeles · +0h from SFO; reference route only, not a live schedule.
2. SFO-FAT
Fresno · 253 km · 1h 9m
America/Los_Angeles · +0h from SFO; reference route only, not a live schedule.
Runway source evidence
Published runway count
4 runways
Longest runway 11,870 ft / 3,618 m. 4 lighted runways in the runway snapshot.
Runway surface mix
asphalt (4)
Surface labels are normalized from the OurAirports runway rows for SFO.
Runway identifiers
10L/28R · 10R/28L · 1L/19R · 1R/19L
Identifier pairs are retained as airport-specific runway cues, not live operational availability claims.
Same-country airport context
1. OAK KOAK
San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport · Oakland · 18 km from SFO
large airport · America/Los_Angeles · united-states · 9 ft (3 m) · 37.7201, -122.2212
2. SJC KSJC
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport · San Jose · 49 km from SFO
large airport · America/Los_Angeles · united-states · 62 ft (19 m) · 37.3625, -121.9292
3. SMF KSMF
Sacramento International Airport · Sacramento · 138 km from SFO
large airport · America/Los_Angeles · united-states · 27 ft (8 m) · 38.6954, -121.5910
4. FAT KFAT
Fresno Yosemite International Airport · Fresno · 253 km from SFO
large airport · America/Los_Angeles · united-states · 336 ft (102 m) · 36.7758, -119.7180
5. RNO KRNO
Reno Tahoe International Airport · Reno · 308 km from SFO
large airport · America/Los_Angeles · united-states · 4,415 ft (1,346 m) · 39.4991, -119.7680
6. BUR KBUR
Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope Airport · Burbank · 525 km from SFO
large airport · America/Los_Angeles · united-states · 778 ft (237 m) · 34.2028, -118.3581
Accepted operational notes
Source note 1
SFO is the primary international airport for the San Francisco Bay Area.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for SFO.
Source note 2
The airport has a four-runway airfield and a terminal complex split between domestic and international facilities.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for SFO.
Source note 3
Owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco, the airport has a San Francisco mailing address and ZIP Code, although it is situated in an unincorporated area of neighboring San Mateo County, approximately 12 miles southeast of San Francisco.
Retained as a source-backed local role note for SFO.
Country and authority
SFO sits in United States (United States of America), whose capital is Washington, D.C.. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the national civil-aviation authority we name for regulator context. Country context: Americas, North America.
Traveler context
Common country-language signals: English. Currency context: USD ($). SFO is listed with scheduled service in the airport source snapshot.
Names and local labels
SFO is also associated in the airport facts snapshot with QSF, QBA. These labels help catch alternate airport names without creating separate duplicate airport pages.
Reference description
Airport in San Mateo County, California, United States. This description is used only as identity context; live flight status, terminal assignment, and airport alerts still belong to the official airport or airline source.
Source-specific cues
Regional role cue: San Francisco International Airport is the primary international airport serving the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. Location cue: Owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco, the airport has a San Francisco mailing address and ZIP Code, although it is situated in an unincorporated area of neighboring San Mateo County, approximately 12 miles southeast of San Francisco.
Entity fingerprint
Wikidata airport entity: Q8688 · San Francisco International Airport. Administrative area: California · San Mateo County. Named after: San Francisco. Entity official-site cross-check: flysfo.com
Field and clock profile
San Francisco International Airport is a near sea-level field at 13 ft (4 m), positioned at 37.6198° N, 122.3748° W in the Northern mid-latitudes. The runway snapshot lists 4 runways and a longest runway of 11,870 ft / 3,618 m. The airport clock uses America/Los_Angeles (PDT, UTC-07:00), so cross-date arrivals should be checked against this zone rather than the airline origin city.
City and airport alternatives
Millbrae is the closest retained city-time anchor at 2.6 km. OAK Oakland is the closest retained airport alternative at 18 km.
Country airport peers
SFO is compared with OAK Oakland at 18 km, SJC San Jose at 49 km, SMF Sacramento at 138 km, FAT Fresno at 253 km, RNO Reno at 308 km inside the retained United States airport set, which is useful when backup airports share the same country context but differ by city, route network, and clock behavior.
Route geometry
SFO-SMF Sacramento: 138 km, about 1h 0m, +0h. SFO-FAT Fresno: 253 km, about 1h 9m, +0h. These are distance and timezone references, not live flight availability claims.
Source trail
OurAirports ident KSFO backs the stable code, coordinate, elevation, and timezone record. flysfo.com is attached as the official airport website. en.wikipedia.org is used only as supporting reference context. Snapshot date: 2026-05-21.
Operational Profile
Traffic profile
Reference airport
Airline role
United Airlines, Alaska Airlines
Terminal footprint
4 terminals
Runway footprint
4 runways · longest 11,870 ft / 3,618 m
Runway identifiers
10L/28R, 10R/28L, 1L/19R, 1R/19L
OurAirports classifies SFO as a large airport with scheduled service; the airport name and codes identify it as an international gateway for San Francisco.
SFO (KSFO) is a near sea-level field at 13 ft (4 m) in the mid-latitudes, kept in the curated set for its route, timezone, and market-planning value.
SFO also has a clear airline-network role: the source summary describes it as bay area international gateway and major pacific hub for united airlines..
SFO's runway record lists 4 runways, with the longest runway at 11,870 ft / 3,618 m and source surfaces recorded as asphalt (4).
San Francisco Airport Commission is the clearest operator or management signal we currently have on file for SFO.
- SFO is the primary international airport for the San Francisco Bay Area.
- The airport has a four-runway airfield and a terminal complex split between domestic and international facilities.
- Owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco, the airport has a San Francisco mailing address and ZIP Code, although it is situated in an unincorporated area of neighboring San Mateo County, approximately 12 miles southeast of San Francisco.
These operational notes prefer the structured airport facts snapshot, then fall back to the accepted airport reference at flysfo.com, then blend that with local timezone, route, and city-access data already on this page.
Decision matrix for SFO
These are the specific situations where this airport page earns its keep: time-zone conversion, city transfer planning, nearby airport backup logic, and source-confidence checks before acting.
When the clock matters
SFO uses America/Los_Angeles (PDT, UTC-07:00). Use this before overnight arrivals, cross-date departures, and same-day connections.
When surface access matters
San Francisco International Airport is about 18 km from central San Francisco; build that transfer into arrival and check-in planning.
When alternates matter
OAK Oakland is the closest retained alternate at 18 km, time difference +0h.
When source checks matter
flysfo.com is listed as the official airport website in the airport facts snapshot; live schedules, gates, routes, terminals, and NOTAM-sensitive operations still need official airport or airline verification.
How this airport compares nearby
These comparisons place SFO inside the retained airport graph by country, timezone, elevation, and coordinate neighbors. They are deterministic dataset facts, not generated flight claims.
Country-rank position
SFO ranks #83 in the curated United States airport set when large airports are listed before medium airports, then sorted by IATA code. The retained country set has 94 airports.
Same-zone airport cohort
SFO shares America/Los_Angeles with BUR Burbank US · FAT Fresno US · GEG Spokane US · LAS Las Vegas US · LAX Los Angeles US · LGB Long Beach US. This helps separate same-clock airports by city, country, code, and geography.
Elevation-neighbor cohort
SFO is 13 ft (4 m). Closest elevation peers in the retained airport set include BNE 13 ft (4 m) (0 ft delta) · DOH 13 ft (4 m) (0 ft delta) · FCO 13 ft (4 m) (0 ft delta) · GOA 13 ft (4 m) (0 ft delta) · HBA 13 ft (4 m) (0 ft delta).
Coordinate-neighbor check
SFO's nearest retained coordinate neighbors are OAK 18 km +0h · SJC 49 km +0h · SMF 138 km +0h · FAT 253 km +0h.
Flight Path Arc
Great-circle route between airports with animated plane. Pick a route.
Arriving From / Departing To
| Destination | Route code | Distance | Estimated window | Time difference | Destination clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento | SMF | 138 km | 1h 0m | +0h | --:--:-- |
| Fresno | FAT | 253 km | 1h 9m | +0h | --:--:-- |
SFO to SMF
Sacramento
Distance 138 km; estimated travel window 1h 0m; destination zone America/Los_Angeles is +0h from SFO. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
SFO to FAT
Fresno
Distance 253 km; estimated travel window 1h 9m; destination zone America/Los_Angeles is +0h from SFO. Use the live destination clock on this page as a cross-timezone planning cue, not as a live flight schedule.
Airport Details
Timezone
Ground Transport and Nearby Context
The airport sits in the normal outer-ring range for a major metro gateway, so rail, shuttle coach, and ride-hail all matter when you judge the fastest arrival.
San Francisco is the nearest mapped city anchor in the current dataset, which makes it the cleanest companion page when travelers want to switch from airport timing into local city timing.
San Francisco International Airport has 4 nearby indexed airport alternatives, which makes backup departures and diversion logic part of real planning instead of a theoretical edge case.
Nearby city time anchors
Airport pages are most useful when they bridge into real city clocks. These city anchors are ranked by distance from SFO, then shown with their own timezone, local time, and time difference from the airport clock.
Millbrae
millbrae · 2.6 km · America/Los_Angeles
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
San Bruno
san-bruno · 3.4 km · America/Los_Angeles
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Burlingame
burlingame · 4.0 km · America/Los_Angeles
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
South San Francisco
south-san-francisco · 4.8 km · America/Los_Angeles
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
San Mateo
san-mateo · 7.7 km · America/Los_Angeles
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Pacifica
pacifica · 9.9 km · America/Los_Angeles
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Visitacion Valley
visitacion-valley · 11 km · America/Los_Angeles
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Foster City
foster-city · 11 km · America/Los_Angeles
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Bayview-Hunters Point
bayview-hunters-point · 12 km · America/Los_Angeles
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Daly City
daly-city · 12 km · America/Los_Angeles
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Belmont
belmont-5327455 · 14 km · America/Los_Angeles
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Noe Valley
noe-valley · 15 km · America/Los_Angeles
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Diff
- +0h
Airlines and Network Role
San Francisco International Airport is associated in the current source trail with United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, which makes carrier-specific schedule checks especially important before acting on a route plan.
The route timing references show the first cross-timezone planning burden after this airport: Sacramento (SMF), Fresno (FAT). Treat them as distance and clock cues, then verify flight availability with the carrier.
Bay Area international gateway and major Pacific hub for United Airlines..
Planning checkpoints
- Traffic signal: not clearly stated in the source trail.
- Terminal footprint: 4 terminals.
- Runway footprint: 4 runways; longest runway 11,870 ft / 3,618 m; identifiers 10L/28R, 10R/28L, 1L/19R.
- Runway surfaces: asphalt (4); 4 lighted runways in the source snapshot.
- Operator / management: San Francisco Airport Commission.
- Opened / inaugurated: 1927.
- Network role: United Airlines, Alaska Airlines.
Nearby Airports
Nearby airports are ranked by coordinate distance from SFO. The time difference column is computed from IANA zones against the page snapshot, while the local clocks update in the browser.
San Francisco Bay Oakland International AirportOAK
Oakland · large airport
- Distance
- 18 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 9 ft (3 m)
Compare against OAK when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International AirportSJC
San Jose · large airport
- Distance
- 49 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 62 ft (19 m)
Compare against SJC when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Sacramento International AirportSMF
Sacramento · large airport
- Distance
- 138 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 27 ft (8 m)
Compare against SMF when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Fresno Yosemite International AirportFAT
Fresno · large airport
- Distance
- 253 km
- Local time
- --:--:--
- Time diff
- +0h
- Elevation
- 336 ft (102 m)
Compare against FAT when route choice, backup departures, or arrival-side local time matters.
Companion Planning Tools
Questions
FAQ
What timezone is San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in?▾
San Francisco International Airport is in the America/Los_Angeles timezone (UTC-07:00, PDT).
What are the codes for San Francisco International Airport?▾
San Francisco International Airport uses IATA code SFO and ICAO code KSFO.
Where is San Francisco International Airport located?▾
San Francisco International Airport is located in San Francisco, United States at coordinates 37.6198° N, 122.3748° W, with an elevation of 13 ft (4 m) (near sea-level field in the mid-latitudes).
How far is San Francisco International Airport from central San Francisco?▾
San Francisco International Airport sits roughly 18 km from the nearest mapped city center for San Francisco.
Which route reference is most useful from SFO?▾
Sacramento (SMF) is one of the closest route references on this page, with an estimated travel window of 1h 0m, destination timezone America/Los_Angeles, and a +0h difference from SFO.
Which authority regulates SFO?▾
San Francisco International Airport sits inside United States, where civil aviation oversight is led by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
What other airports in United States are close peers to SFO?▾
SFO's curated peers in United States on this site include OAK Oakland, SJC San Jose, SMF Sacramento, plus 3 more.
How many runways does San Francisco International Airport have?▾
San Francisco International Airport's source-backed operational summary lists 4 runways, with the longest runway recorded at 11,870 ft / 3,618 m; identifiers include 10L/28R, 10R/28L, 1L/19R.