Sony Microelectronics Helistop

Economic and corporate restructuring. The helistop was a private asset of the Sony Microelectronics semiconductor fabrication plant. In March 2011, Sony sold the plant to a group of investors who formed a new company called SAKyrkos, Inc. The closure of the 'Sony' helistop was a direct result of this change in ownership. The subsequent failure of SAKyrkos and the complete redevelopment of the site for a different purpose permanently sealed its fate.

The site of the former Sony plant, including the location of the helistop, has been completely redeveloped into a massive data center campus. The primary tenant of the repurposed buildings is Microsoft. The coordinates (29.4447, -98.639999) now point to the roof of a Microsoft data center building. The original helipad infrastructure and markings are gone, and the property serves an entirely different technological function.

The Sony Microelectronics Helistop (39TX) was a private rooftop heliport that served Sony's state-of-the-art chip fabrication plant in San Antonio's Westover Hills. Opened in the early 1990s, the plant was a major high-tech employer and a key part of Sony's global electronics manufacturing network. The helistop's primary operation was likely for corporate and executive transport, enabling swift access to the facility for VIPs and company leadership. It may also have been used for the urgent, time-sensitive transport of critical manufacturing components or finished products, a valuable logistical asset in the fast-paced semiconductor industry.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening the helistop. The facility is considered permanently closed and defunct. The original corporate owner no longer occupies the site, and the property has been fundamentally repurposed by its current owner, Microsoft, for a use that does not require aviation infrastructure.