The airport is operated and managed by the Salt Lake City Department of Airports, a department of Salt Lake City Corporation. Salt Lake City's Mayor, the City Council and a nine-member advisory board of citizen volunteers oversee its affairs. The department also operates Airport II in West Jordan, and Tooele Valley Airport, general aviation/reliever facilities.

The Salt Lake City Department of Airports’ policy is to facilitate the needs of the news media and its coverage of events on airport property within its capability. However, the responsibility of safeguarding lives and property takes precedence in all situations. The Department of Airports is also responsible for preserving incident sites for investigation and preventing evidence from being destroyed or disturbed.