Lindbergh Field
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San Diego International Airport is the primary
international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...
serving
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
and its surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. The airport is located northwest of
downtown San Diego Downtown San Diego is the central business district of San Diego, California, the eighth largest city in the United States. It houses the major local headquarters of the city, county, state, and federal governments. The area comprises seven d ...
. It is the busiest single-runway airport in the United States. The airport is owned and operated by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority..
US Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a U.S. federal government agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in the United States and surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffi ...
. Effective February 20, 2025.
It operates in
controlled airspace Controlled airspace is airspace of defined dimensions within which air traffic control (ATC) services are provided. The level of control varies with different airspace class, classes of airspace. Controlled airspace usually imposes higher weat ...
served by Southern California TRACON. The airport's landing approach is close to the skyscrapers of downtown San Diego, 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.


History


Origins

Prior to the development of the airport, the area was a delta river outlet for the
San Diego River The San Diego River is a 52 mi (84 km) river in San Diego County, California. It originates in the Cuyamaca Mountains northwest of the town of Julian, then flows to the southwest until it reaches El Capitan Reservoir, the second-largest reservo ...
into
San Diego Bay San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port in San Diego County, California, near the Mexico–United States border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of ...
, which was then re routed to terminate to the Pacific Ocean parallel to Mission Bay. 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 Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, and author. On May 20–21, 1927, he made the first nonstop flight from New York (state), New York to Paris, a distance of . His aircra ...
flight-tested the
Spirit of St. Louis The ''Spirit of St. Louis'' (formally the Ryan NYP, registration: N-X-211) is the custom-built, single-engine, single-seat, high-wing monoplane that Charles Lindbergh flew on May 20–21, 1927, on the Charles Lindbergh#New York–Paris flight ...
before his historic 1927 transatlantic flight. The site of Dutch Flats is on the other side of
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego (MCRD San Diego) is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport and the former N ...
, near the intersection of Midway and Barnett Avenues. 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. 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
seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...
s. The original terminal was on the northeast side of the field, on Pacific Highway. The airport was also a testing facility for several early US
sailplane A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the leisure activity and sport of gliding (also called soaring). This unpowered aircraft can use naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to gain altitude. Sailplan ...
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. The airport was also the site of a national and world record for women's altitude established in 1930 by Ruth Alexander. 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 Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be th ...
route started. The airport gained
international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...
status in 1934. In April 1937,
United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...
Air Base was commissioned next to the airfield. The Coast Guard's
fixed-wing aircraft A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using aerodynamic lift. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft (in which a rotor mounted on a spinning shaft generate ...
used Lindbergh Field until the mid-1990s when their fixed-wing aircraft were assigned elsewhere. A major defense contractor and contributor to
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
heavy bomber production,
Consolidated Aircraft The Consolidated Aircraft Corporation was founded in 1923 in aviation, 1923 by Reuben H. Fleet in Buffalo, New York, the result of the Gallaudet Aircraft Company's liquidation and Fleet's purchase of designs from the Dayton-Wright Company as the ...
, 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. The
US Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
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. This transformation, including an runway, made the airport "jet-ready" long before jet airliners came into service. 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 Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) was a low-cost carrier, low-cost US airline headquartered in San Diego, California, that operated from 1949 to 1988. It was the first substantial scheduled low-cost carrier, discount airline. PSA called itself "Th ...
(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 Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
, 6
Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...
, 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 720 The Boeing 720 is a retired American narrow-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Announced in July 1957 as a 707 derivative for shorter flights from shorter runways, the 720 first flew on November 23, 1959. Its type certificate ...
s 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. 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 A jet bridge is an enclosed connector which most commonly extends from an airport terminal gate to an airplane, and in some instances from a port to a boat or ship, allowing passengers to board and disembark without heading outside and being exp ...
, 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.
Western Airlines Western Airlines was a major airline in the United States based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mex ...
discontinued service to Mexico City in 1981, leaving the airport without any international flights. However, in June 1988, the airport's first transatlantic flight was opened, a
British Airways British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main Airline hub, hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and pass ...
flight to London's Gatwick Airport using Boeing 747s and McDonnell Douglas DC-10s. 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. 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 on January 7, 1998. The expanded Terminal 2 and the Commuter Terminal were designed by
Gensler Gensler is a global design and architecture firm headquartered in San Francisco, California. It is the largest architecture firm in the world by revenue and number of architects. In 2022, Gensler generated $1.785 billion in revenue, the most o ...
and SGPA Architecture and Planning. In 2001, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (SDCRAA) was created by
California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Califor ...
Bill 93. 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."


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 The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
brought with it a massive expansion in jet traffic to nearby
Naval Air Station Miramar Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. It is located in Miramar, a communi ...
, 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 Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado ...
, Mission Bay, and Brown Field as replacements. Cost, conflicts with the Navy, and potential interference with other air traffic stymied these plans. 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. 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 Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. It is located in Miramar, a communi ...
closed and was then immediately transferred to the
US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...
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 The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for San Diego County, California. It is an association of local county governments, with policy makers consisting of mayors, councilmembers, and co ...
until the airport authority was formed. In 2001, the SDCRAA projected SAN would be constrained by congestion between 2015 and 2022; the Great Recession, however, extended the forecast capacity limitations into the 2030s. In June 2006, SDCRAA board members selected
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. It is located in Miramar, a commu ...
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. 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. 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. It was completed on August 13, 2013, and cost
US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
900 million. In January 2016, the airport opened a new consolidated rental car facility on the airport's north side. The US$316 million, facility houses 14 rental car companies and is served by shuttle buses to and from the terminals. A new three-story parking structure in front of Terminal 2 broke ground in July 2016 and completed in May 2018. 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," a new immigration and customs facility at Terminal 2 West began construction in 2017. 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. The facility was completed in June 2018 and is almost five times the size of its predecessor. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.


Facilities


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, 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 . Each end has a
displaced threshold A displaced threshold or DTHR is a runway threshold located at a point other than the physical beginning or end of the runway. The portion of the runway behind a displaced threshold may be used for takeoff in either direction and landings from t ...
: on Runway 27, the first are displaced, while the first are displaced on Runway 9. The west end of the runway has an
Engineered materials arrestor system An engineered materials arrestor system, engineered materials arresting system (EMAS), or arrester bed is a bed of engineered materials built at the end of a runway to reduce the severity of the consequences of an aircraft running off the end o ...
, installed in 2006 and expanded in 2021. Westerly winds predominate, so most takeoffs and landings use Runway 27. However, when in
marine layer A marine layer is an air mass that develops over the surface of a large body of water, such as an ocean or large lake, in the presence of a Inversion (meteorology), temperature inversion. The inversion itself is usually initiated by the cooling ...
or
Santa Ana wind The Santa Ana winds, occasionally referred to as the devil winds, are strong, extremely dry katabatic winds that originate inland and affect coastal Southern California and northern Baja California. They originate from cool, dry high-pressure a ...
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 tall that are located within 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 Kai Tak Airport was an international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. Officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, it is often referred to as Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, or simply K ...
. From the left side of the aircraft, the approach offers closeup views of skyscrapers,
Petco Park Petco Park is a ballpark in San Diego, California. It is the home of the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). The ballpark is located in the East Village neighborhood of downtown San Diego, adjacent to the Gaslamp Quarter. Petco Par ...
(home of the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
),
San Diego Bay San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port in San Diego County, California, near the Mexico–United States border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of ...
, and the
San Diego–Coronado Bridge The San Diego–Coronado Bridge, commonly referred to as the Coronado Bridge, is a prestressed concrete/steel girder bridge, girder fixed-link bridge crossing over San Diego Bay, linking San Diego with Coronado, California. It is signed as part ...
, while Balboa Park, site of the 1915–1916
Panama–California Exposition The Panama–California Exposition was a World's fair, world exposition held in San Diego, California, between January 1, 1915, and January 1, 1917. The exposition celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, and was meant to tout San Diego as t ...
, can be seen on the right. Contrary to local lore, the parking garage located from the east of the end of the runway was built in the 1980slong after previous obstructions also on the east side of I-5 were builtand 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. 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 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...
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. Both terminals have designated areas for taxis and ride-share pickups.


Public transportation

There are four public transportation options: *
Metropolitan Transit System The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is a public transit service provider for San Diego County, California. The agency operates a transit system that includes the San Diego MTS bus system, San Diego Trolley, and Rapid ( bus rapid tra ...
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. Route 992 connects to several major transportation hubs in downtown San Diego: ** Santa Fe Depot served by
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
, Coaster, the
Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...
and
Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...
lines of the
San Diego Trolley The San Diego Trolley is a light rail system serving San Diego County, California. The trolley's operator, San Diego Trolley, Inc. , is a subsidiary of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The trolley operates as a critical componen ...
, and
Rapid Rapid(s) or RAPID may refer to: Hydrological features * Rapids, sections of a river with turbulent water flow * Rapid Creek (Iowa River tributary), Iowa, United States * Rapid Creek (South Dakota), United States, namesake of Rapid City Sport ...
buses ** City College station served by the Blue and
Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...
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. *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 ) from Middletown station served by the Blue and Green lines of the San Diego Trolley. *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. 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.


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.


Airline Support Building

The 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. The design-build project to construct the facility was awarded to SUNDT construction in 2018 for approximately $130 million.


Other facilities

Signature Aviation is the
fixed-base operator A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down, and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction ...
(FBO) at San Diego International Airport. 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. 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.


Airlines and destinations


Passenger

, San Diego International Airport has non-stop passenger flights scheduled to 76 domestic and 11 international destinations in 7 countries, operated by 23 airlines.


Destinations map


Cargo


Statistics


Top destinations


Airline market share


Airport traffic


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 to 2018.


Accidents and incidents

*On April 29, 1929, a
Ford Trimotor The Ford Trimotor (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed the "Tin Goose") is an American Trimotor, three-engined transport plane, transport aircraft. Production started in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and ended on June 7, 1933, afte ...
operated by
Maddux Air Lines Maddux Air Lines was an airline based in Southern California that operated Ford Tri-motors in California, Arizona, and Mexico in the late 1920s. Founding In 1927 Jack L. Maddux, an owner of a Los Angeles Ford and Lincoln car dealership, ...
collided in mid-air with a PW-9D shortly after taking off from Lindbergh Field. The aircraft collided over
downtown San Diego Downtown San Diego is the central business district of San Diego, California, the eighth largest city in the United States. It houses the major local headquarters of the city, county, state, and federal governments. The area comprises seven d ...
, killing all five aboard the Trimotor and the
USAAC The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
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. *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 San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port in San Diego County, California, near the Mexico–United States border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of ...
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 The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...
, 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 Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. Abou ...
was renamed Craig Field, later
Craig Air Force Base Craig Air Force Base near Selma, Alabama, was a U.S. Air Force undergraduate pilot training (UPT) installation that closed in 1977. Today the facility is a civilian airport known as Craig Field Airport and Industrial Complex (ICAO: KSEM; FAA ...
. Investigation into the cause of the accident caused a two-month delay in deliveries, resulting in the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
not receiving Liberator IIs until August 1941. *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. This was one of only two twin-finned B-32s (''41–142'' was the other); all subsequent planes had a PB4Y-style single tail. *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 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 A coroner's jury is a body convened to assist a coroner in an inquest, that is, in determining the identity of a deceased person and the cause of death. The laws on its role and function vary by jurisdiction. United Kingdom In England and Wa ...
found Consolidated Vultee guilty of "gross negligence" by vote of 11–1 on January 5, 1945, and the
Bureau of Aeronautics The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and rela ...
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. *On April 5, 1945, the prototype Ryan XFR-1 Fireball, BuNo ''48234'', on a test flight over Lindbergh Field, lost
skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...
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 Litchfield Park is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is located west of Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,847, up from 5,476 in 2010. History The town of Litchfield Park is a community out ...
. 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. *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 Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
. A mechanic attempted to remove the left battery solenoid, located below the cockpit floor, but did so without disconnecting the battery. A ratchet wrench accidentally punctured a hydraulic line 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. *On August 5, 1952,
Convair B-36D-25-CF Peacemaker The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built, although it was exceeded in span ...
, ''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 Convair, previously Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, was an American aircraft-manufacturing company that later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee ...
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, but flight engineer W.W. Hoffman drowned before he could be rescued. A
USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
accident investigation was inconclusive, with a failure in the #5 engine's alternator, supercharger, fuel or exhaust systems suggested as possible causes. *On July 15, 1953, the prototype Convair XP5Y-1 Tradewind
seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...
, BuNo ''121455'', on a test flight off
Point Loma Point Loma ( Spanish: ''Punta de la Loma'', meaning "Hill Point"; Kumeyaay: ''Amat Kunyily'', meaning "Black Earth") is a seaside community in San Diego, California, United States. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the ...
after taking off from the water next to Lindbergh Field, fractured an
elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...
torque tube rendering the aircraft uncontrollable. All nine on board bailed out safely and were rescued. *On November 4, 1954, an experimental Convair YF2Y Sea Dart
seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...
, BuNo ''135762'', on a demonstration flight for Navy officials over
San Diego Bay San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port in San Diego County, California, near the Mexico–United States border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of ...
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 Convair, previously Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, was an American aircraft-manufacturing company that later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee ...
test pilot Charles E. Richbourg was pulled from the water but did not survive. *On September 25, 1978, a
Boeing 727-200 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavier 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airp ...
operating flight PSA Flight 182 on the
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
–Los Angeles–San Diego route collided in mid-air with a
Cessna 172 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.North Park neighborhood, killing all 135 people on Flight 182, the two people in the Cessna, and seven people on the ground. An
NTSB The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inc ...
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 Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...
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 separation was available, and an unexpected turn by the Cessna that put it directly in the path of the 727. *On August 11, 2023,
Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines Co., or simply Southwest, is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States that formerly operated on a low-cost carrier model. It is headquartered in the Love Field, Dallas, Love Field neighborhood ...
Flight 2493 and a
Cessna Citation V The Cessna Citation V (company designation Model 560) is a business jet built by Cessna that was in production from 1989 until 2011. During that time, such craft were made. The first Model 560 prototype, a stretched version of the Citation S/II ...
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. *On May 20, 2025, Hawaiian Airlines Flight 15, a Airbus A330, was pushed back from itś gate for departure to Honolulu International Airport. At 845pm PT, Port of San Diego Harbor Police received a dispatch call from the captain advising them of a possible bomb threat onboard. During pushback, flight attendants overhead a guest making threats to the safety of their aircraft. All 293 occupants were deplaned and the FBI cleared the plane. It was determined that a Navy technician had made fake bomb threats to a passenger next to him. He was arrested. *On June 8, 2025, a
Cessna 414 The Cessna 414 is an American light, pressurized, twin-engine transport aircraft built by Cessna. It first flew in 1968 and an improved variant was introduced from 1978 as the 414A Chancellor. Design and development The pressurized 414 was dev ...
owned by
vitamin Vitamins are Organic compound, organic molecules (or a set of closely related molecules called vitamer, vitamers) that are essential to an organism in small quantities for proper metabolism, metabolic function. Nutrient#Essential nutrients, ...
and
dietary supplement A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement a person's diet by taking a pill (pharmacy), pill, capsule (pharmacy), capsule, tablet (pharmacy), tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients eithe ...
maker Optimal Health Systems crashed into the ocean off the coast of
Point Loma Point Loma ( Spanish: ''Punta de la Loma'', meaning "Hill Point"; Kumeyaay: ''Amat Kunyily'', meaning "Black Earth") is a seaside community in San Diego, California, United States. Geographically it is a hilly peninsula that is bordered on the ...
shortly after takeoff. All six occupants were reported missing but were later confirmed to have been killed in the crash.


See also

* California World War II Army Airfields *
Tijuana International Airport Tijuana International Airport (); officially ''Aeropuerto Internacional General Abelardo L. Rodríguez'' (General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport) , is an international airport located northeast of downtown Tijuana, Baja Califo ...


References

*


External links

* *
Flight planner section of the airport's website
* – official Airport Authority employee blog
Airliners.net
– search for San Diego under Photo Search and see the colorful past of San Diego airport through the years
IMDb movie: Billy Wilder's ''The Spirit of St. Louis'', starring James Stewart, 1957
* * {{Authority control Airports established in 1928 Airports in San Diego Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in California USAAF Contract Flying School Airfields Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command in North America Charles Lindbergh 1928 establishments in California Proposed California High-Speed Rail stations