Exiting Luis Muñoz Marin Airport by Public Bus

Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional Luis Muñoz Marín) (IATA: SJU, ICAO: TJSJ, FAA LID: SJU), previously known as Isla Verde International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Isla Verde), is the main international airport of Puerto Rico serving the capital municipality of San Juan and its metropolitan area since 1955.[6] Named after Luis Muñoz Marín, the first popularly elected governor of the archipelago and island, the 1,600 acre (647 ha) airport is located in the beachfront resort district of Isla Verde in the municipality of Carolina, about 4 to 7 miles (6.4 to 11.3 km) east of the Milla de Oro financial district in Hato Rey barrio, Condado resort area and Isla Grande secondary airport in Santurce barrio, and Old San Juan historic quarter in San Juan Islet. SJU processed 13,247,382 total passengers in 2024, making it the busiest airport in Puerto Rico and the insular Caribbean.[7][8][9]

Handling 93% of passenger flow and 90% of air cargo into Puerto Rico,[10] Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is the 39th busiest airport by passenger enplanement, 38th by total passenger traffic, 24th by international passenger traffic, and 23rd by cargo throughput in the United States and its territories. It is also the 46th busiest airport in North America and the 15th busiest airport in Latin America by total passenger traffic.

The airport is owned by the Puerto Rico Ports Authority and managed by Aerostar Airport Holdings, a public–private partnership operating the airport for 40 years, beginning in 2013.[11][12][13] SJU was the second international airport to be privatized in the United States and its territories, and, as of 2025, it is the only currently privatized airport in the country.[14]

Satellite view from Old San Juan historic quarter (upper left) in San Juan Islet in the San Juan capital municipality to Isla Verde resort area with SJU airport (upper right) visible in the Carolina municipality, 2016

Satellite view from Condado district (upper left) in San Juan to Piñones community (upper right) in the Loíza municipality with Isla Verde area and SJU airport visible (upper right-center) in Carolina, 2016
History

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
In 1945, aware of the importance of aviation for the development of the economy of Puerto Rico, the island government had pointed out the need to build a newer international airport capable of handling the growing air traffic of San Juan International Airport, in Isla Grande, that had been operating since 1929; as well as responding to the needs of the future. Until then Isla Grande had been the main airport of Puerto Rico. As airlines began switching from propeller aircraft to jets, the 4,000 foot (1,200 m) Isla Grande airstrip did not have the necessary distance for modern aircraft to land and take off. (The Isla Grande Airport, now named in honor of Maj. Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci, pilot of the US Air Force F-111, who was killed in action in Libya in 1986, currently has a runway of 5,542 feet (1,689 m) in length.)

On the other hand, the government had also decided that it should direct the air operations, relying these powers in the Puerto Rico Transportation Authority, created in 1942, which later became the Ports Authority. The Committee of Airports of the Planning Board began to study the feasibility of the new airport, submitting in 1944 its plans and studies to the Federal Civil Aeronautics Administration, to determine the most appropriate place.