global news | January 12, 2026

Where Was Airport 77 Filmed? San Diego Filming Locations

Airport 77 was filmed in San Diego and Tallahassee, Florida. The movie was shot in eight different locations in the United States.

Airport 77 is a 1977 American film about a flight that was hijacked by several terrorists. One of the terrorists is the co-pilot of the plane.

Jerry Jameson was the director, William Frye was the producer, and the screenplay was written by Michael Scheff and David Spector.

The story is about a private airplane with VIP passengers and priceless art that is hijacked before crashing into the ocean in the Bermuda Triangle.

The hijackers wanted to steal the priceless art that would be transported to Palm Beach, Florida.

But things turned out differently when they lost control of the plane and crashed it into a place where they could not be rescued.

The film also showcases the struggle of the passengers to survive the plane crash at sea and the after effect of the trauma.

Airport 77 was nominated for two Academy Awards and was a box office hit. It collected around $91 million worldwide.

The famous actors in Airport 77 movies include Jack Lemmon, James Stewart, Joseph Cotten, Olivia de Havilland, Brenda Vaccaro, etc.

Airport 77 Was Shot On Location

Airport 77 filming locations consists of Philip Steven’s Mansion, Hollywood Burbank Airport and Wakulla Springs in Florida.

The majority part of the movie scenes was filmed in Florida, San Diego, and the lounge was set at Universal Studios located in California, USA.

Airport 77 filming locations are:

Philip Steven’s Mansion

The rich and wealthy character Philip Steven’s mansion is originally Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. The mansion looks lavish and beautiful in the movie.

Some of the other famous films which have been soot in that museum are, Iron Man 3, Bad Boys, Days of Our Lives, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Champ, etc.

The Film Airport Location

Airport 77 film showcases different airports, which include Hollywood Burbank Airport and Los Angeles international airport located in Burbank and California, respectively.

Later they also shot the airport scene at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia, USA.

The Underwater Location

The underwater scenes were shot on the Universal backlot and Wakulla Springs in Florida, which was one of the difficult parts to shoot as they lacked advanced technology at that period.

The production department hired numerous skilled swimmers to protect the cast and crew, as it was the real challenge of the movie.

They have done good cinematography under the water with few resources, which needs to be acknowledged as the new generation is blessed with the best technologies.

The Wakulla Springs State Park where the underwater scene was shoot, is now registered as a Historic place in the United States of America.

Meet The Cast Of Airport 77

Airport 77 movie cast consits of Jack Lemmon as Don Gallagher and Lee Grant as Karen Wallace. Lee played one of the iconic roles as a mean widow.

The other actors include George Kennedy as Joseph Patroni, Brenda Vaccaro as Eve Clayton, Pamela Bellwood as Lisa Stevens and Christopher Lee as Martin Wallace.

Jack Lemmon as Don Gallagher

Jack Lemmon played the role of Don Gallagher, the captain of the plane. He was lured from the cockpit, and the hijackers made him unconscious.

The American actor Jack was skilled in both dramatic and comic roles. He was also labeled as the most successful tragi-comedian of his age.

The Airport 77 star has done more than sixty films and was nominated for an Academy Award eight times and two times winner of the Academy Award.

Similarly, he has received much other recognition, including six Golden Globe Awards, two Cannes Festival Awards, BAFTA, Emmy Awards and the Oscars.

Later, in 1962 Lemmon again got married to actress Felicia Farr and had a daughter, Courtney, he was also the stepfather to Denise Farr.

During the late 1970s, Lemmon had become an alcoholic to cope with his stress. He passed away from bladder cancer on June 27, 2001.

Lee Grant as Karen Wallace

In the movie Airport 77, Lee Grant portrays the role of the VIP passenger on Philip Stevan’s airplane. She later drowns in the sea.

Lee is an American actress, documentarian, and director. She debuted in the film industry in 1951 in the movie Detective Story.

She has won several awards during her acting journey; she also won Oscar for Best Supporting Actress as Warren Beatty’s Older Lover in the movie Shampoo.

She restarted her acting career after she was removed from the blacklist in 1963. Her famous work includes Peyton Place, and In the Heat of the Night.

She was married to Arnold Manoff during her debut time and got divorced from her husband with whom she shared a daughter Dinah Manoff in 1960.

Other Cast Of The Movie Include

  • Brenda Vaccaro as Eve Clayton
  • Joseph Cotten as Nicholas St. Downs III
  • Olivia de Havilland as Emily Livingston
  • James Stewart as Philip Stevens
  • George Kennedy as Joseph Patroni
  • Darren McGavin as Stan Buchek
  • Christopher Lee as Martin Wallace
  • Robert Foxworth as Bob Chambers
  • Robert Hooks as Eddie
  • Pamela Bellwood as Lisa Stevens

Airport 77 Movie Review

Airport 77 movie is the third airline disaster movie of the Airport franchise. Before this, only two movies were made on this theme.

There is a mixed review of this movie, there are some critics who think that this is one of the underrated movies of the 70s.

While some of them think that the story of the movie does not feel real and it could have been best if they had some changes in the story.

The acting in the movie was praised by most of the critics, their acting is top-notch and gave justice to their role as well as the film.

The film portrays how hijackers manage to take sleeping gas inside the airplane and use it to make their passengers unconscious.

Not only that, the scene where the VIP passenger is doing everything just to come out alive is heartwrenching to watch. They want to see the new day of life.

The cinematography and the special effect were also good as considering that it was a movie made in the 70s. There were various big actors in the movie.

Another scene that critics think was one of the best in the film was the time when the Navy rescued the passengers from the plane.

The particular scene of the Navy rescuing gives you goosebumps and praise for their effort, which looked real.

The movie has got an average rating of 5.8/10 on its official IMDB page and has a runtime of almost two hours.