TUS January eNews

Holiday Bowl 2026

To celebrate the University of Arizona’s (U of A) Holiday Bowl appearance on January 2, 2026, the TAA and U of A collaborated on a strategic partnership. From December 30, 2025, through January 2, 2026, fans experienced a festively decorated Southwest Airlines ticket counter and gate area, celebrating the bowl game. Additionally, fans had a unique opportunity to shop for bowl gear at a University of Arizona Bookstore popup shop. As this partnership between the TAA and U of A continues to grow, we are proud to be the airport of choice for Wildcats!

Holiday Travel Season at TUS

The holiday season certainly is one of the busiest times of the year at TUS, this year was no exception. TAA was projecting roughly 233,000 passengers to fly TUS during the 19-day holiday period from December 17, 2025, through January 4, 2026. Peak travel days in that window were projected to see more than 14,000 passengers per day. It is important to fly local, fly TUS, as we work to continue to grow. This holiday season, nonstop destinations with the largest year-over-year capacity gains were Denver, Sacramento, Portland, Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Chicago Midway. TUS was able to connect passengers to 442 destinations around the world with just a single stop, making TUS the easy choice for holiday travel.

TAA Partners with Wilde Meyer Art Gallery for New Art Exhibits

To continually support the arts and provide a memorable and unique travel experience to our passengers, the TAA is partnering with Wilde Meyer Gallery in 2026 to showcase art in temporary exhibit spaces. This partnership allows the TAA to highlight many different world-class artists and varying art styles on a rotating basis that is specially curated by Mark Meyer and Betty Wilde, owners of Wilde Meyer Gallery. The newest art pieces were installed on January 7th and provide a fresh and exciting look for our passengers.

RTA Next | What to Know

The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) invites you to attend an upcoming RTA Next Plan Q&A Session to learn more about the proposed $2.67 billion regional transportation plan and tax that will be on the ballot in March for Pima County voter consideration.

The RTA Next Plan includes roadway corridor, transit, pavement rehabilitation (arterial/collector roads), environmental (wildlife linkages), safety, ADA, and active transportation (bike/pedestrian) improvements to enhance the transportation network for another 20 years through your continued investment.

Click below to view the plan, Q&A schedules, and links to join the meeting virtually. Your input is valuable, and we want to know what will best suit you and your community’s needs.

What is a city/metropolitan IATA code?

Airports don’t necessarily follow the codes you might expect them to. While airports like SEA (Seattle Tacoma International Airport) or PIT (Pittsburgh International Airport) make perfect sense, why do some airports like Paris have such unique codes or even three different codes like CDG, ORY, and LBG? That’s because Paris is such a large metropolitan area, that it has 3 major airports, Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG), Paris Orly (ORY), and Paris Le Bourget (LBG). In instances like this, large cities and metropolitan areas may even be assigned a city/metropolitan code (sometimes referred to as a mega code) depending on their size, and how many airports serve that community. When booking travel to large cities like Paris, London, Tokyo, or even Los Angeles; pay close attention to the airport you are flying to, search engines will often display all airports within the metropolitan area, unless you specifically identify the airport using the code like CDG.

Book your next trip on FlyTucson.com. With access to 442 destinations worldwide, TUS is your door to the world!

Featured Artist: Jerry Becker

The Tucson Airport Authority was proud to honor the work of the late artist Jerry Becker. His daughter, Cheryle June, shares just some of the legacy Jerry leaves behind: “After having lived in the Pacific Northwest for the first 40 years of his life, Jerry suddenly found himself drawn to the Desert Southwest because of the sunny days. In the summer of '72, Jerry relocated his family to Tucson, Arizona.

Jerry developed a true appreciation for the beauty of the desert. His working method was sketching on location, then bringing the sketch back to his studio to paint. He preferred to use his own colors and imagination to make the painting his own interpretation.

Jerry’s work at TUS is a collection of the past 50 years including florals, landscapes, and still life’s, using various techniques and styles in watercolor and pastel.”

TUS is home to a robust collection of permanent and rotating art, highlighting the unique artistic spirit of the southwest desert. We are honored to have had the opportunity to highlight the amazing work of Jerry Becker.

Plane Spotting at TUS

Boeing 737-7H4 Mis