GREENSBORO REGIONAL AIRPORT


The 1958 Greensboro terminal in a postcard taken sometime in the early 1960s.

Greensboro Regional Airport opened its new terminal in 1958, replacing a temporary facility that had served the airport since World War II. The new terminal was a modern glass paneled structure with a single enclosed pier, along which aircraft parked. At the time of the terminal's opening, Greensboro was served by Eastern, Piedmont, Delta and Capital (which merged with United in 1961.) The one-story building fronted GSO's east-west runway - then the primary runway. Ticketing offices were located on the east side of the building, while baggage reclaim was on the west side. A central lobby and restaurant/coffee shop were sited in the middle of the building, near the entrance to the boarding pier. The boarding pier had eight passenger gates.

The terminal more or less continued in this configuration for the next 20 years, although the baggage claim area appears to have been expanded at some point in the late 1960s or early 1970s. By 1975, airport officials began to plan for construction of a new terminal. Piedmont Airlines, which for years had served both GSO and Smith Reynolds Airport in nearby Winston-Salem, announced its intention to consolidate its operations at Greensboro Regional Airport. It became apparent that a larger facility would be needed.


This postcard shows both the landside and airside of the old GSO as they appeared through most of the 1960s and 1970s.
Courtesy of Jim Kruggel


An aerial view of GSO in the late 1970s. An Eastern 727 and Delta DC9 are parked on the concourse.

After toying with several proposals that would have expanded the old terminal on its existing site, authorities eventually decided to build a new terminal on a greenfield site in the northwest corner of the airport. The plan called for making the northeast-southwest runway the primary runway. Work on the new (and current) facility began in 1978, and operations were transferred there in 1982. At the same time, the airport was renamed the Piedmont Triad International Airport.


A diagram of GSO in 1981, just prior to the building's closure. From a United Airlines service guide courtesy of Tom Moore

In 1981, just before the terminal closed, Greensboro was served by Piedmont, United, Delta and Eastern. United operated from two gates on the west side of the boarding pier, while Piedmont and Delta shared the three gates on the east side. Eastern used three gates at the end of the pier. All of the gates featured boarding via airstairs; there were no jetways at GSO until the present building opened in 1982. Ticket counters, in order from west to east (from the lobby outwards), were: United, Piedmont, Eastern, Delta.


A diagram of GSO in the early 1980s, showing the position of the new terminal (top) relative to the old complex (bottom).
Courtesy of Blaine Peters


Two photos of the GSO terminal building taken in March 1988. The terminal had been closed for six years at that point and was being used for various general aviation offices. In the first picture, the low-ceilinged, one-level former boarding concourse is visible. The second picture is taken from the former parking lot; the old terminal looks more like a 1950s elementary school than an airport terminal! Photos courtesy of Tom Moore


The site of the former GSO terminal, looking north in 2001. The building has been completely demolished, although its outline is clearly visible. The former parking lot appears to be serving as a construction baseyard of some sort.

I NEED MORE INFORMATION ON THIS TERMINAL! If you have any photos or information, please send them to j-sullivan2@northwestern.edu. Thanks!

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