Denver Airport, Oct. 2005

Denver International Airport often called DIA, is the second largest (land size) international airport in the world, after King Fahd International Airport, and is located in far northeastern Denver, Colorado. Operated by the City and County of Denver, in 2005 it served 43,387,513 passengers, ranking eleventh worldwide (in the past it has ranked among the top ten busiest airports in the world). DIA was voted the 2005 Best Airport in North America by readers of Business Traveler Magazine.

The airport's distinctive white tension fabric roof is designed to be reminiscent of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains in winter. It is also known for a pedestrian bridge connecting the terminal to Concourse A that allows travelers to view planes taxiing directly underneath. The airport is a major hub for United Airlines and Frontier Airlines, as well as the primary hub for Ted, a subsidiary of United. The airport also has a sizable and growing Southwest Airlines operation and was the hub of the now defunct Western Pacific Airlines.

The airport is 25 miles (40 km) distant from downtown Denver, which is 19 miles (31 km) farther away than Stapleton International Airport, the airport it replaced. The distant location was chosen to avoid noise impacts to developed areas, to accommodate a generous runway layout that would not be compromised by winter storms, and to allow for future expansion. The 54 square miles (34,524 acres or 140 km²)) of land occupied by the airport actually has twice the land area of Manhattan. It is slightly larger than the City and County of San Francisco. It was transferred from Adams County to Denver after a 1989 vote, increasing the city's size by 50 percent. However, much of the city of Aurora is actually closer to the airport than the developed portions of Denver, and all freeway traffic accessing the airport from central Denver passes through Aurora.

Text from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver_International_Airport