The library and museum is dedicated to commercial aviation and San Francisco International Airport's role as the "Gateway to the Pacific" is in place in the new International Terminal. These collections are permanently housed in an 11,500 square foot facility modeled on the Passenger Waiting Room of the 1937 San Francisco Airport Administration Building. Its mission is to increase public awareness of the important achievements in air transport by preserving, interpreting, and sharing the history of commercial aviation. The San Francisco Airport Commission has expressed its belief that, "in order to prepare for the future, we must preserve the past."


Over 6,000 books and periodicals have already been catalogued in the library. The museum collections include over 3,000 photographs and documents, and more than 5,400 artifacts have been accessioned. Collection objects are being professionally conserved and researched and will be available for study by digital imaging with on site and on-line access. Collections will also be utilized for Airport exhibitions programming. This facility, with its focus on commercial aviation and emphasis on the Pacific, will provide a unique repository and study center for scholars, the aviation community, and the traveling public.


The Airport is actively seeking donations of artifacts, documents, ephemera, and memorabilia related to commercial aviation. Donations are tax deductible as charitable contributions. For further information, please contact the museum curator.