 The first year of operations of the new airport produced an upward movement of passengers to 694,199 and a total of 28 million pounds of cargo was handled.By 1959, major airlines had introduced jets, which significantly reduced flight time and increased flight cruising safety.At the start of operations, the airport had only one runway (8/26), the old control tower on top of the Hotel, 3 terminals and a parking lot for 200 cars.