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San Diego International Airport
International airport in San Diego, California, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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San Diego International Airport (IATA: SAN, ICAO: KSAN, FAA LID: SAN) is the primary international airport serving San Diego and its surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. The airport is located three miles (4.8 km; 2.6 nmi) northwest of downtown San Diego. It covers 663 acres (268 ha) of land and is the third busiest airport in California in terms of passenger traffic.[7][8] It is the busiest single-runway airport in the United States.[9]
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The airport is owned and operated by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.[7][10] It operates in controlled airspace served by Southern California TRACON.[11] The airport's landing approach is close to the skyscrapers of downtown San Diego,[12] and can sometimes prove difficult to pilots due to the relatively short usable landing area, steep descent angle over the crest of Bankers Hill, and shifting wind currents just before landing.[13][14]
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History
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Origins
Prior to the development of the airport, the area was a delta river outlet for the San Diego River into San Diego Bay, which was then re routed to terminate to the Pacific Ocean parallel to Mission Bay.[15]
The airport is near the site of the Ryan Airlines factory, but it is not the same as Dutch Flats Airport, the Ryan airfield where Charles Lindbergh flight-tested the Spirit of St. Louis before his historic 1927 transatlantic flight. The site of Dutch Flats is on the other side of Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, near the intersection of Midway and Barnett Avenues.[16]
Inspired by Lindbergh's flight and excited to have made his plane, the city of San Diego passed a bond issue in 1928 for the construction of a two-runway municipal airport. Lindbergh encouraged the building of the airport and agreed to lend his name to it.[17] The new airport, dedicated on August 16, 1928, was San Diego Municipal Airport – Lindbergh Field, with 140 Navy and 82 Army planes involved in a flyover.
The airport was the first federally certified airfield to serve all aircraft types, including seaplanes.[18][19] The original terminal was on the northeast side of the field, on Pacific Highway.[18] The airport was also a testing facility for several early US sailplane designs, notably those by William Hawley Bowlus (superintendent of construction on the Spirit of St. Louis) who also operated the Bowlus Glider School at Lindbergh Field from 1929 to 1930.[20] The airport was also the site of a national and world record for women's altitude established in 1930 by Ruth Alexander.[21][22] The airport was also the site of the first transcontinental glider tow by Capt. Frank Hawks departing Lindbergh Field on March 30, 1930, and ending in Van Cortland Park in New York City on April 6, 1930. On June 1, 1930, a regular San Diego–Los Angeles airmail route started. The airport gained international airport status in 1934. In April 1937, United States Coast Guard Air Base was commissioned next to the airfield.[23] The Coast Guard's fixed-wing aircraft used Lindbergh Field until the mid-1990s when their fixed-wing aircraft were assigned elsewhere.[24]
A major defense contractor and contributor to World War II heavy bomber production, Consolidated Aircraft, later known as Convair, had their headquarters on the border of Lindbergh Field, and built many of their military aircraft there. Convair used the airport for test and delivery flights from 1935 to 1995.[25]
The US Army Air Corps took over the field in 1942, improving it to handle the heavy bombers being manufactured in the region. Two camps were established at the airport during World War II and were named Camp Consair and Camp Sahara.[26] This transformation, including an 8,750 ft (2,670 m) runway, made the airport "jet-ready" long before jet airliners came into service.[27] The May 1952 C&GS chart shows an 8,700-ft runway 9 and a 4,500-ft runway 13.
Jet age
Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) established its headquarters in San Diego and started service at Lindbergh Field in 1949. The April 1957 Official Airline Guide shows 42 departures per day: 14 American, 13 United, 6 Western, 6 Bonanza, and 3 PSA (5 PSA on Friday and Sunday). American had a nonstop flight to Dallas and one to El Paso; aside from that, nonstop flights did not reach beyond California and Arizona. The first scheduled flights using jets at Lindbergh Field were in September 1960: American Airlines Boeing 720s to Phoenix and United Airlines 720s to San Francisco. Nonstop flights to Chicago started in 1962 and to New York in 1967.
The airport was built and operated by the City of San Diego through the sale of municipal bonds to be repaid by airport users. In 1962 it was transferred to the San Diego Unified Port District by a state law.[28] The original terminal was on the north side of the airport; the current Terminal 1 opened on the south side of the airport on March 5, 1967. Originally Terminal 1 was only 1 story tall and had no jet bridges, however between 1981 and 1983 Terminal 1 East was given a second floor and jet bridges, and the same was done with Terminal 1 West between 1989 and 1991. Terminal 2 also originally opened on July 11, 1979. These terminals were designed by Paderewski Dean & Associates.[29]
Western Airlines discontinued service to Mexico City in 1981, leaving the airport without any international flights.[30][31] However, in June 1988, the airport's first transatlantic flight was opened, a British Airways flight to London's Gatwick Airport using Boeing 747s and McDonnell Douglas DC-10s.[31] As San Diego airport's customs facility had not been used in seven years and was not up to the US Customs Service's latest security requirements, inbound travelers had to clear customs in Los Angeles, which made the journey cumbersome. After the Port District performed the necessary upgrades, San Diego Airport's customs facility reopened in 1989 - nevertheless, British Airways ended the route in November 1990.[32]
Between 1991 and 1993, the airport's second runway (Runway 13/31) was closed and retrofitted into taxiways D and F. This runway had been much smaller than the main runway (Runway 9/27) and was unable to be used by commercial jets.
In July 1996, the Commuter Terminal opened, a small standalone facility where all short-haul flights to Los Angeles boarded regardless of airline. Terminal 2 itself was expanded westward by 300,000 square feet (27,871 m2) on January 7, 1998. The expanded Terminal 2 and the Commuter Terminal were designed by Gensler and SGPA Architecture and Planning.[33][34]
In 2001, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (SDCRAA) was created by California State Assembly Bill 93.[28] The SDCRAA assumed jurisdiction over the airport in December 2002. The Authority changed the airport's name from Lindbergh Field to San Diego International Airport in 2003, reportedly considering the new name "a better fit for a major commercial airport."[35]
Relocation proposals
As far back as 1950, there have been proposals to relocate San Diego International Airport. In 1950, the city of San Diego acquired what is today Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport and much of the land surrounding it through eminent domain to build a replacement airport, but the Korean War brought with it a massive expansion in jet traffic to nearby Naval Air Station Miramar, which soon rendered a commercial service airport in the area impractical. The CAA refused to fund any major enhancements to SDIA through the 1950s, and at various times the city proposed NAS North Island, Mission Bay, and Brown Field as replacements. Cost, conflicts with the Navy, and potential interference with other air traffic stymied these plans.[36]
While in 1964 the FAA finally agreed to an expansion of SDIA, which led to the construction of today's Terminal 1, it was only allowed with the assurance of San Diego Mayor Charles Dail that it would be a temporary measure until a replacement airport could be found.[37] From that time until 2006, various public agencies conducted studies on potential locations for a replacement airport. One revisited a study done in the 1980s by the City in 1994 when Naval Air Station Miramar closed and was then immediately transferred to the US Marine Corps as Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Another was by the City of San Diego in 1984 and another that started in 1996 and sat dormant with SANDAG until the airport authority was formed.
In 2001, the SDCRAA projected SAN would be constrained by congestion between 2015 and 2022;[38] the Great Recession, however, extended the forecast capacity limitations into the 2030s.[39] In June 2006, SDCRAA board members selected Marine Corps Air Station Miramar as its preferred site for a replacement airport, despite military objections the compromises this would require would severely interfere with the readiness and training of aviators stationed at the air station.[40] On November 7, 2006, San Diego County residents rejected an advisory relocation ballot that included a joint use proposal measure over these and related concerns over the potential impact reducing the region's military value would have on the defense-focused San Diego economy.[41] With the relocation proposals now defeated, San Diego Airport began looking to improve its existing facilities.
Modern expansion
The first of San Diego International Airport's expansions in the 21st century was "The Green Build," an expansion to Terminal 2 West that added 10 gates, a new security area, an expanded concession area ("Sunset Cove"), and a dual-level arrivals/departures roadway.[42] It was completed on August 13, 2013, and cost US$900 million.[43] In January 2016, the airport opened a new consolidated rental car facility on the airport's north side. The US$316 million, 2-million-square-foot (190,000 m2) facility houses 14 rental car companies and is served by shuttle buses to and from the terminals.[44] A new three-story parking structure in front of Terminal 2 broke ground in July 2016 and completed in May 2018.[43][45]
Due to the sharp rise of international travel at the airport, with traffic at international arrival gates 20, 21 and 22 increasing "from 50,000 passengers a year in 1990 to more than 400,000 a year in 2017,"[46] a new immigration and customs facility at Terminal 2 West began construction in 2017.[47][48] The new facility was partially built into the now-four year old Green Build, adding a new upper level and vertical cores to move passengers from existing Green Build gates (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, and 51) to 55,000 square feet of new international arrivals facilities at the southwest corner of the terminal.[49] The facility was completed in June 2018 and is almost five times the size of its predecessor.[46] Currently, the airport provides non-stop flights to five countries: Japan, Germany, the UK, Mexico, Canada; and soon to expand to seven with the addition of the Netherlands and Panama.[50][51][52]
In 2021, the airport began construction on a complete replacement of Terminal 1, as per the Airport Development Plan (ADP), a study by the airport that began in 2016.[53]
The new Terminal 1's construction is split into two phases. The first phase consists of a new 19-gate standalone facility east of the original Terminal 1, as well as a new 7,500-space parking structure, a new dual-level arrivals/departures roadway to match Terminal 2's, a new entry road parallel to Harbor Drive, and an expanded aircraft taxiway A to pair with existing taxiway B.[54][55] This first phase is scheduled to open in 2025 with a budget of US$2.6 billion, and is 60% complete as of April 4, 2024.[56] The second phase, planned to open in 2028, will demolish the original Terminal 1 and replace it with 11 additional gates for the new Terminal 1.[57] Space was also set aside west of the new parking structure for an unspecified rail transit station to connect the Airport to downtown San Diego, although neither constructing this station nor constructing tracks leading to it are the responsibility of the airport.[58]
2016's ADP also planned for a new airport operations center to replace the one located within the long-decommissioned and now-demolished Commuter Terminal. This was completed in December 2023.[59] A further westward expansion to Terminal 2 West was also called for in the ADP, which would increase the total number of gates at the airport to 61. While the airport may decide to move forward with this third phase at some point, it is not expected to be completed before 2035 at the earliest.[60]
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Facilities
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Terminals
San Diego International Airport has two terminals and 51 gates:
- Terminal 1 The historic terminal currently has 14 gates in use, the first phase of new T1 will open 19 of the planned 30 new gates in late summer 2025. By 2028, the new T1 will be finished with an additional 11 new gates.
- Terminal 2 has two concourses (East and West), 32 gates, and four lounges (Aspire Lounge, Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club,[61] Delta Sky Club, United Club).
Runway
The airport has one runway, designated 09/27 for its magnetic headings of 095 degrees (106 True) and 275 degrees (286 True). The runway, built of asphalt and concrete, measures 9,401 by 200 feet (2,865 m × 61 m). Each end has a displaced threshold: on Runway 27, the first 1,810 feet (550 m) are displaced, while the first 1,000 feet (300 m) are displaced on Runway 9. The west end of the runway has an Engineered materials arrestor system, installed in 2006 and expanded in 2021.[62]
Westerly winds predominate, so most takeoffs and landings use Runway 27. However, when in marine layer or Santa Ana wind conditions, the runway configuration reverses to Runway 9, usually causing delays. Delays are exacerbated by some heavier planes being unable to takeoff on Runway 9, necessitating these specific planes to wait at the end of Runway 27 for sometimes multiple hours until their opposite-direction takeoff can be fit in.
The approach to Runway 27 is unusually steep due to utility poles and buildings over 200 ft (61 m) tall that are located within 2 miles (3.2 km) of the east end of the runway. Nearby skyscrapers are no factor, but nevertheless the approach has gained notoriety among passengers for the unusual experience of flying relatively low and close to San Diego's densely populated downtown, and has drawn comparisons to Kansas City's Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport and Hong Kong's former Kai Tak Airport.[63] From the left side of the aircraft, the approach offers closeup views of skyscrapers, Petco Park (home of the San Diego Padres), San Diego Bay, and the San Diego–Coronado Bridge, while Balboa Park, site of the 1915–1916 Panama–California Exposition, can be seen on the right. Contrary to local lore, the parking garage located 800 feet (240 m) from the east of the end of the runway was built in the 1980s – long after previous obstructions also on the east side of I-5 were built – and does not affect the approach.
To appease the concerns of the airport's neighbors regarding noise and to head off any ensuing lawsuits, a curfew was implemented in 1979 whereby takeoffs are only allowed between 6:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. Outside these hours, they are subject to a large fine. However, law enforcement, emergency, fire or rescue aircraft, and medical flights can operate normally. Arrivals are permitted 24 hours per day.[64] While several flights have scheduled departure times before 6:30 a.m., these are pushback times, and the first takeoff roll does not occur until 6:30 a.m.
Ground transportation
The airport is on North Harbor Drive, which is accessible from Interstate 5 northbound via the Hawthorn Street exit and southbound via the Sassafras Street exit. Short-term parking is located in front of both terminals: Terminal 2 has covered parking plaza and an outdoor lot, while Terminal 1 only has an outdoor lot. Long term parking is on North Harbor Drive to the east of the terminals and is served by shuttle buses.[65]
Both terminals have designated areas for taxis and ride-share pickups.[66]
Public transportation
There are four public transportation options:[67]
- Metropolitan Transit System Route 992: operates between downtown San Diego, Terminal 1, Terminal 2 East, and Terminal 2 West. Route 992 operates from 5 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. with buses arriving every 15 minutes.[68] Route 992 connects to several major transportation hubs in downtown San Diego:
- Santa Fe Depot served by Amtrak, Coaster, the Blue and Green lines of the San Diego Trolley, and Rapid buses
- City College station served by the Blue and Orange lines of the San Diego Trolley, and Rapid buses
- Metropolitan Transit System Route 923: operates between Ocean Beach and Downtown San Diego, stopping just outside the airport on North Harbor Drive from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. every 30 minutes on weekdays. Service does not operate on weekends.[69]
- TERMINAL → TROLLEY shuttle: buses serving the rental car center make a stop at the corner of Admiral Boland Way and West Palm Street, one block (about 900 feet [270 m]) from Middletown station served by the Blue and Green lines of the San Diego Trolley.[70]
- San Diego Flyer shuttle: complimentary buses operate between the airport and Old Town Transit Center every 20 to 30 minutes. Pickup and drop-offs are timed to meet the first and last Trolley, Coasters, Amtrak trains, and MTS buses. Passengers can transfer via Old Town Transit Center to Amtrak, Coaster, along with Blue and Green lines trains of the San Diego Trolley.[71]
Extension of the San Diego Trolley to directly serve the airport terminals, has been proposed several times but has not yet come to fruition. A 2021 study has found that such an extension to the airport is feasible and could be completed within ten years.[72]
Military
Coast Guard Air Station San Diego is near the southeast corner of the airport. The installation originally supported seaplane operations during the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s, when the station had HU-25 Guardian jets assigned.[73]
Airline Support Building
The 93,000-square-foot (8,600 m2) Airline Support Building, which houses cargo operations and storage areas for aircraft provisions, and serves as a pick up and drop off point for live animals and large cargo, opened on July 20, 2021. Located on the south side of the airfield along North Harbor Drive, the building counts among its cargo tenants Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, Hawaiian, Lufthansa, Southwest, Sun Country, and United.[74] The design-build project to construct the facility was awarded to SUNDT construction in 2018 for approximately $130 million.[75]
Other facilities
Signature Aviation is the fixed-base operator (FBO) at San Diego International Airport.[76] The FBO ramp is at the northeast end of the airfield.
Stormwater is captured on Terminal 2 Parking Plaza and used in the cooling towers that heat, ventilate and air condition the terminals and jet bridges.[77][78]
A portion of the southeast infield at San Diego International Airport is set aside as a nesting site for the endangered California least tern. April through September is the least tern nesting season at SAN. Since 1970, this endangered migratory sea bird has found a suitable nesting site each year in the sand and gravel located in four oval areas between the runway and airplane taxiway. Approximately 135 nests were established there in 2007.[79]
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Airlines and destinations
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Passenger
As of April 2025[update], San Diego International Airport has non-stop passenger flights scheduled to 76 domestic and 11 international destinations in 7 countries, operated by 23 airlines.[80]
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Cargo
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Statistics
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Top destinations
Airline market share
Airport traffic
 | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Annual passenger traffic at SAN airport.
See Wikidata query.
Annual traffic
Note: Obtained passenger data for 2011–present from air traffic reports; data does not match up with the Historical Passenger table from 2011-2018.
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Accidents and incidents
- On April 29, 1929, a Ford Trimotor operated by Maddux Air Lines collided in mid-air with a PW-9D shortly after taking off from Lindbergh Field. The aircraft collided over downtown San Diego, killing all five aboard the Trimotor and the USAAC pilot of PW-9D. According to eyewitness accounts, shortly before the collision the Air Corps pilot had been flying extremely close to the larger airliner in an impromptu show for viewers on the ground, when he misjudged the distance between the two aircraft and crashed into it.[113]
- On June 2, 1941, the first British Consolidated LB-30 Liberator II, AL503, on its acceptance flight for delivery from the Consolidated Aircraft Company plant in San Diego, crashed into San Diego Bay[114] when the flight controls froze, killing all five of the civilian crew: Consolidated Aircraft Company's chief test pilot William Wheatley, co-pilot Alan Austen, flight engineer Bruce Kilpatrick Craig, and two chief mechanics, Lewis McCannon and William Reiser. Craig had been commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the US Army Reserve in 1935 following Infantry ROTC training at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering. He had applied for a commission in the US Army Air Corps before his death; this was granted posthumously, with the rank of 2nd lieutenant. On August 25, 1941, the airfield in his hometown of Selma, Alabama was renamed Craig Field, later Craig Air Force Base.[115] Investigation into the cause of the accident caused a two-month delay in deliveries, resulting in the Royal Air Force not receiving Liberator IIs until August 1941.[citation needed]
- On May 10, 1943, the first Consolidated XB-32 Dominator, 41–141, crashed on take-off at Lindbergh Field, likely from failure of the flaps. Although the bomber did not burn when it piled up at the end of the runway, Consolidated's senior test pilot Dick McMakin was killed. Six others on board were injured.[116] This was one of only two twin-finned B-32s (41–142 was the other); all subsequent planes had a PB4Y-style single tail.[citation needed]
- On November 22, 1944, Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer, BuNo 59544, on a pre-delivery test flight from Lindbergh Field, took off at 12:23 am, lost its left outer wing on climb-out, and crashed in a ravine in an undeveloped area of Loma Portal near the Naval Training Center, less than 2 miles (3.2 km) from the runway. All six members of the Consolidated Vultee test crew were killed, including pilot Marvin R. Weller, co-pilot Conrad C. Cappe, flight engineers Frank D. Sands and Clifford P. Bengston, radio operator Robert B. Skala, and Consolidated Vultee field operations employee Ray Estes. A wing panel landed on a home at 3121 Kingsley Street in Loma Portal. The cause was found to be 98 missing bolts; the wing was only attached with four spar bolts. Four employees who either were responsible for installation, or were inspectors who signed off on the undone work, were fired two days later. A San Diego coroner's jury found Consolidated Vultee guilty of "gross negligence" by vote of 11–1 on January 5, 1945, and the Bureau of Aeronautics reduced its contract by one at a cost to firm of US$155,000. Consolidated Vultee paid out US$130,484 to the families of the six dead crew.[117]
- On April 5, 1945, the prototype Ryan XFR-1 Fireball, BuNo 48234, on a test flight over Lindbergh Field, lost skin between the front and rear spars of the right wing, interrupting airflow over the wing and causing it to break apart. Ryan test pilot Dean Lake bailed out as the airframe disintegrated. The wreckage struck a brand new Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer, BuNo 59836, just accepted by the US Navy and preparing to depart for the modification center at Litchfield Park, Arizona. The bomber caught fire and the four man Navy crew was forced to evacuate the burning PB4Y, with aviation machinist J. H. Randall suffering first, second, and third degree burns and minor lacerations while the rest of the crew was uninjured.[118]
- On April 30, 1945, just before midnight, the first production Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer, BuNo 59359, was being prepared on the ramp at Lindbergh Field for a flight to Naval Air Station Twin Cities in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A mechanic attempted to remove the left battery solenoid, located 14 inches (36 cm) below the cockpit floor, but did so without disconnecting the battery. A ratchet wrench accidentally punctured a hydraulic line 3 inches (7.6 cm) above the battery and the fluid ignited, setting the entire aircraft alight. The mechanic suffered severe burns. Only the number four (outer right) engine was deemed salvageable. The cause was an unqualified mechanic attempting a task that only a qualified electrician should perform.[119]
- On August 5, 1952, Convair B-36D-25-CF Peacemaker, 49-2661, returning from a pre-delivery test after being modified for the San-San project, suffered an uncontrollable engine fire in the right wing while attempting to land at Lindbergh Field. The #4 and #5 engines fell off the aircraft as the Convair test crew steered the crippled bomber towards the ocean. Seven of the eight crew on board bailed out, with Pilot David H. Franks heroically electing to stay with the aircraft to prevent it turning back towards the heavily populated coast,[120] but flight engineer W.W. Hoffman drowned before he could be rescued. A USAF accident investigation was inconclusive, with a failure in the #5 engine's alternator, supercharger, fuel or exhaust systems suggested as possible causes.[121]
- On July 15, 1953, the prototype Convair XP5Y-1 Tradewind seaplane, BuNo 121455, on a test flight off Point Loma after taking off from the water next to Lindbergh Field, fractured an elevator torque tube rendering the aircraft uncontrollable. All nine on board bailed out safely and were rescued.[122]
- On November 4, 1954, an experimental Convair YF2Y Sea Dart seaplane, BuNo 135762, on a demonstration flight for Navy officials over San Diego Bay after taking off from the water next to Lindbergh Field, disintegrated in mid-air after its pilot inadvertently exceeded the airframe's structural limits. Convair test pilot Charles E. Richbourg was pulled from the water but did not survive.[123]
- On September 25, 1978, a Boeing 727-200 operating flight PSA Flight 182 on the Sacramento–Los Angeles–San Diego route collided in mid-air with a Cessna 172 while attempting to land at San Diego Airport. The two aircraft collided over San Diego's North Park neighborhood, killing all 135 people on Flight 182, the two people in the Cessna, and seven people on the ground. An NTSB accident investigation found the probable accident's cause was the PSA flight crew's failure to inform the tower they had lost sight of the Cessna, in contradiction to air traffic control instructions to "keep visual separation" from the smaller aircraft. Other factors named were errors on the part of ATC, including the use of pilot-maintained visual separation when ATC-monitored radar clearances were available, and an unexpected turn by the Cessna that put it directly in the path of the 727.[124]
- On August 11, 2023, Southwest Airlines Flight 2493 and a Cessna Citation V business jet nearly collided, but this was avoided when the Cessna aborted its landing and passed over the Southwest plane waiting to depart by 100 feet. There were no injuries.[125]
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