San Diego International Airport

History

Origins

Prior to the development of the airport, the area formed part of the delta of the San Diego River that discharged into San Diego Bay. The river was later rerouted to discharge into the Pacific Ocean west of Mission Bay.

The airport is near the site of the Ryan Aeronautical Company factory, where the Spirit of St. Louis was built for Charles Lindbergh's historic 1927 transatlantic flight. The aircraft was flight-tested at Dutch Flats Airport, Ryan's airfield located near the intersection of Midway and Barnett avenues on the opposite side of Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

Inspired by Lindbergh's flight and proud to have produced his aircraft, the city of San Diego approved a bond issue in 1928 to construct an airport. Lindbergh encouraged the project and agreed to lend his name to it. The airport was dedicated on August 16, 1928, as San Diego Municipal Airport – Lindbergh Field, with 140 Navy and 82 Army aircraft participating in a flyover.

The airport was the first federally certified airfield to serve all aircraft types, including seaplanes. The original terminal stood on the northeast side of the field along Pacific Highway.

The airport also served as a testing site for several early U.S. sailplane designs, including those by William Hawley Bowlus, superintendent of construction on the Spirit of St. Louis. Bowlus operated the Bowlus Glider School at Lindbergh Field from 1929 to 1930.

In 1930, Ruth Alexander set national and world altitude records for women at the airport.

The airport was the departure point for the first transcontinental glider tow, flown by Capt. Frank Hawks. The flight departed Lindbergh Field on March 30, 1930, and arrived at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City on April 6, 1930. Regular San Diego–Los Angeles airmail service began on June 1, 1930. The airport gained international airport status in 1934.

In April 1937, a United States Coast Guard air base was commissioned next to the airfield. The Coast Guard operated fixed-wing aircraft from Lindbergh Field until the mid-1990s, when those aircraft were reassigned elsewhere.

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. The original terminal was on the north side of the airport; the former 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.

Western Airlines 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 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.

The Commuter Terminal opened on July 23, 1996, a small standalone facility used by all short-haul flights, mostly to Los Angeles, regardless of airline. Service out of the terminal stopped in 2015 after the expansion of Terminal 2 and amid the introduction of larger regional jets. However, the building remained standing until January 2024 as it also housed offices for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.

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.

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 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; the Great Recession, however, extended the forecast capacity limitations into the 2030s. 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. 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 major 21st-century expansion of the airport was "The Green Build," adding 10 gates to Terminal 2 West, as well as a new security checkpoint, a scenic dining area dubbed "Sunset Cove," a new USO Center, and a dual-level arrivals and departures roadway for the entirety of Terminal 2. Completed on August 13, 2013, at a cost of US$900 million, it was followed in January 2016 by the opening of a 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. In July 2016, construction began on a three-story 5,200-space parking structure in front of Terminal 2, which was completed in May 2018.

Given annual arrivals at Terminal 2 East's three international gates (20–22) had increased from 50,000 passengers in 1990 to more than 400,000 in 2017, a new international arrivals facility for the airport was built at Terminal 2 West. Construction began in 2017 and completed in June 2018, adding vertical circulation and an upper level connecting six of the Green Build gates (46–51) to a 55,000-square-foot (5,100 m2) international arrivals processing facility at the southwest corner of the terminal.

After many years of planning, construction on a complete replacement of Terminal 1 began in 2021. Divided into two phases, Phase 1 of the project includes a 19-gate standalone terminal east of the original facility, a five-story 5,200-space parking structure, a dual-level arrivals and departures roadway similar to Terminal 2's, a new entry road parallel to Harbor Drive, and an expanded taxiway A to pair with existing taxiway B. Phase 1 opened on September 22, 2025, at a cost of US$2.6 billion. Phase 2, to begin after Phase 1's opening and planned for completion in 2028, will demolish the original Terminal 1 and add 11 additional gates to the new Terminal 1 in its place. An area west of the new Terminal 1's parking structure was left vacant to accommodate a station for the proposed "Airport Transit Connection," a project under study by SANDAG to connect the airport to Downtown San Diego via a transit line of a yet to be decided mode.

A new administration building for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority opened in December 2023 just west of Terminal 2, relocating offices previously housed on the upper floors of the Commuter Terminal. Its relocation enabled the long unused by passengers Commuter Terminal to be demolished, making way for Phase 1 of the new Terminal 1.

Facilities

Terminals

San Diego International Airport has two terminals and 52 gates:

Terminal 1 currently has 21 gates in use, with 9 more planned to open by 2028.

Terminal 2 has two concourses with 31 gates. The older East concourse has 12 gates and the newer West concourse has 19 gates, along with the airport's international arrivals facility.

Runway

The airport has one runway, designated 09/27 for its magnetic headings of 95 degrees and 275 degrees. 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.

Most takeoffs and landings use Runway 27, as the predominant westerly winds favor its use. However, in Santa Ana wind conditions, where winds shift toward the east, operations reverse and Runway 9 is used for takeoffs and landings instead. Marine layer conditions that lower the cloud ceiling below visual flight rules minimums will also trigger an operations reversal to Runway 9, as Runway 27 lacks an instrument landing system (as the steep terrain on approach makes such a system infeasible). These reversals to Runway 9 can cause delays, as the airport's taxiway layout is constrictive, given there is only one taxiway (B) that spans the entire length of the airport's sole runway. When enough planes line up to take off on Runway 9, they will block planes that have just landed on Runway 9 from getting to their gate. Compounding this is some heavier aircraft being restricted from departing on Runway 9 at all, which in reversed operations requires these aircraft to taxi against the flow of taxiway B to the end of Runway 27, where they will wait for sometimes multiple hours until their departure can be accommodated by air traffic control. In rare cases of severe gridlock, planes will be instructed by ground control to backtaxi on the runway, a procedure not typically utilized by commercial airports. The creation of a new taxiway A as part of the new Terminal 1 project aims to reduce aircraft ground movement-related delays like these.

The approach to Runway 27 is unusually steep due to utility poles and over 200-foot-tall (61 m) buildings within 2 miles (3.2 km; 1.7 nmi) of the runway threshold. Although nearby skyscrapers are not considered an obstacle, the approach has been compared to those at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City and Hong Kong's former Kai Tak Airport.

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.

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. Parking garages are located in front of both terminals and each has around 5,200 spaces. The airport also offers valet service curbside at the terminals. Both terminals have designated areas for taxis and ride-share pickups.

Public transportation

There are three public transportation options:

Metropolitan Transit System route 992: operates between downtown San Diego, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Route 992 operates from 5 a.m. to 12:30 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, 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

SAN Flyer shuttle: complimentary buses operate between the airport and Old Town Transit Center every 20 to 25 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.

Trolley to Terminal shuttle: The airport's complimentary buses between the terminals and consolidated rental car facility also stops on Admiral Boland Way near West Palm Street, 800 feet (240 m) from the San Diego Trolley's Middletown station. Passengers walking from Middletown station can board shuttles here for either terminal. From the airport, passengers must tell the driver they wish to be dropped off for the Trolley, as the shuttle does not automatically stop.

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.

The airport is the proposed terminus of the second phase of the California High-Speed Rail project.

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 93,000-square-foot (8,600 m2) Airline Support Building, which houses cargo operations and aircraft provisions storage and serves as a pickup 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.

Other facilities

Signature Aviation is the fixed-base operator (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

As of June 2026, San Diego International Airport has nonstop scheduled passenger flights to 87 destinations, including 11 international destinations in 7 foreign countries.

Statistics

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 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.

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 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. 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.

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 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.