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San Diego International Airport (IATA: SAN, ICAO: KSAN, FAA LID: SAN), also known as Lindbergh Field, is a joint civil-military public airport located 3 mi (4.8 km) northwest of the central business district of San Diego, California and also 20 mi (32 km) from the Mexico – United States border at Tijuana, Mexico. It is owned by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.

San Diego International is the busiest single-runway commercial service airport in the United States, and second in the world after London Gatwick, with approximately 600 departures and arrivals carrying 50,000 passengers each day, and a total of 18.3 million passengers in 2007.

SAN occupies the smallest land footprint of any large commercial airport in the United States, occupying 661 acres (2.67 km) of land.

The airport currently serves as a focus city for Southwest Airlines. The most prominent airlines at the airport were Southwest Airlines (34.4%), United Airlines/United Express (10.7%), and American Airlines/American Eagle Airlines (10.3%).

History

Dedicated on August 16, 1928, the new airport was given the prominent name San Diego Municipal Airport - Lindbergh Field. This naming occurred because San Diego holds the honor of being the city from which Charles Lindbergh began the journey that would ultimately become the first solo transatlantic flight in addition to the place where the aircraft the Spirit of St. Louis was built. Additionally, the airport holds the distinction of being the first federally certified airfield to serve all aircraft types, including seaplanes. The original terminal was located on the northeastern side of the field, along Pacific Coast Highway. The airport also holds the distinction of serving as a testing facility for several early U.S. 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 1929-1930. On June 1, 1930, a regular San Diego-Los Angeles airmail route was initiated. The airport gained 'international airport' status in 1934, and a United States Coast Guard Air Base located adjacent to the field was commissioned in April 1937. The Coast Guard's fixed-wing aircraft make use of the runway at Lindbergh Field.

World War II brought significant change to the airfield when the Army Air Corps took it over in 1942 to support the war effort. The infrastructure of the airport was improved to handle the heavy bombers being manufactured in the region during the war. This transformation, including an 8,750 ft (2,670 m) runway, made the airport "jet-ready' long before jet passenger planes came into widespread service. After the war, commercial air service at Lindbergh Field expanded rapidly. Pacific Southwest Airlines established its headquarters in San Diego and inaugurated service at Lindbergh Field in 1949 to points throughout California. In 1960, Lindbergh Field gained its first jet service, with American Airlines and United Airlines operating the Boeing 720 to Phoenix and San Francisco, respectively.

The original terminal was used until the 1960s, but by that time, air traffic in San Diego had increased considerably and new facilities were needed badly. The current Terminal 1 was opened on the southern side of the airport property on March 5, 1967. It was not until July 11, 1979 that Terminal 2 was opened. A third terminal, dubbed the Commuter Terminal, opened on July 23, 1996. Terminal 2 was later expanded by 300,000 square feet (30,000 m) in 1998.

Originally operated by the San Diego Unified Port District, the airport is now operated by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.

Flight operations

The vast majority of takeoffs and landings at SAN are from east to west.

Landing at the airport from the east (the most common approach) offers dramatic closeup views of skyscrapers, Petco Park (home of the San Diego Padres), and the soaring, curving Coronado Bridge from the left side of the aircraft. On the right, Balboa Park, site of the 1915-1916 Panama-California Exposition, can be seen, along with the world famous San Diego Zoo and several freeways.

The approach from the east is steep, necessitated by terrain which drops from 266 ft (81 m) to sea level in less than a mile. Aircraft normally descend at 317 feet per mile, but in San Diego they must descend at 331 feet per mile. San Diego's only runway is located at the base of a hill lined with several obstructions, including the I-5 freeway and trees in Balboa Park. Contrary to local lore, the parking structure off the end of the runway was built long after previous obstructions built up east of the I-5. The parking structure was then built up to this controlling limit. Aircraft clear the parking structure by the required 109 feet (33 m).

Aircraft arriving from the east do not land at the end of the runway as at most airports, but land at what is called a displaced threshold, located 1,810 feet (550 m) from the runway end, effectively shortening the landing distance to 7,591 feet (2,314 m). Aircraft departing to the west use the east end of the runway as their departure point.

Reverse operations

Under Santa Ana wind conditions, operations are reversed with landings and takeoffs to the east. Because of the terrain, weight limits are imposed on departing aircraft under these conditions.

Terrain east and west of the airport greatly impacts the available runway length. Runway 27 (heading west) has a climb gradient of 317 feet per nautical mile leaving an equivalent takeoff distance of roughly 8,700 ft (2,700 m) (7,000 ft (2,100 m) for twin engine aircraft) compared to a non-terrain airport. Taking off to the east requires a 600 foot per mile climb rate, this leaves an equivalent takeoff distance of 6,400 ft (2,000 m), enough to force a weight penalty on the 737-800. It should also be noted that Lindbergh Field does not have standard runway safety areas 1,000 ft (300 m) in length at each runway end. An engineered materials arrestor system (EMAS) has been installed at the west end of the runway to catch any aircraft overruns, but its 318 ft (97 m) length, the standard is 600 ft (180 m), can only for certain stop aircraft up to 350,000 lb (160,000 kg) in weight. The east end of the runway does not have such a system as its use would reduce the runway length by at least 400 ft (120 m), further impacting the runway's capability.

Under fog conditions, aircraft takeoff toward the west (Runway 27) but arrivals also approach from the west (Runway 9, the only direction equipped with ILS). This can cause traffic problems and delays both in the air and on the ground.

Noise curfew

SAN is located in a highly populated area. To appease the airport's neighbors' concerns over noise and the associated lawsuit, a curfew was put in place in 1979. Departures are allowed between 6:30 am and 11:30 pm. Outside those hours, departures are subject to a large fine. Arrivals are permitted 24 hours per day. Several flights are scheduled with departure times before 6:15 sm. These times, however, are pushback times. First takeoff roll is at 6:30 sm.

Current status

As of January, 2009, San Diego International Airport is served by 16 passenger airlines and five cargo airlines which fly nonstop to 42 destinations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The busiest route in terms of operations is to Los Angeles with 30 weekday round trips split between United Express and American Eagle. The busiest route in terms of available seats per day is to Oakland spread across 16 weekday round trips on Southwest Airlines.

In January 2008, San Diego International Airport entered the blogosphere with the launch of the first employee blog - the Ambassablog - for a major U.S. airport. Written by front-line employees, the blog features regular posts on airport activities, events and initiatives; reader comments; and several multimedia and interactive features. It has been presented as a case study in employee blogging to several public agencies at the federal, state and local levels.

In February 2008, San Diego International Airport became one of the first major airports in the U.S. to adopt a formal sustainability policy, which expresses the airport's commitment to a four-layer approach to sustainability known as EONS. As promulgated by Airports Council International - North America, EONS represents an integrated "quadruple bottom line" of (E)conomic viability, (O)perational excellence, (N)atural resource conservation and preservation and (S)ocial responsibility.

In May 2008, the California Attorney General, Jerry Brown, announced an agreement with San Diego International Airport on reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the airport's proposed master plan improvements. In announcing the agreement, the Attorney General's office said "San Diego airport will play a key leadership role in helping California meet its aggressive greenhouse gas reduction targets."

Public transport is provided by Metropolitan Transit System bus #992, which connects the airport to downtown San Diego, where connections can be made to other bus routes and the San Diego Trolley, COASTER, and Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner. San Diego International Airport is also testing a new system of light called Runway Status Lights (RWSL).

USCG operations

An interesting feature of the airport is the existence of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) air station in the south-east corner of the airfield. The installation originally supported fixed-wing seaplane operations, with seaplane ramps leading into the bay, as well as conventional land-based fixed-wing aircraft and rotary-wing operations.

The air station is physically separated from the rest of the airfield, so that USCG fixed-wing aircraft must cross a busy, 6-lane city street to reach the runway. Street light activation opens the locked gates to the airfield and the air station, and also stops traffic while aircraft are crossing the street. This was a common occurrence during the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s when CGAS San Diego had both HH-3F Pelican and HH-60J Jayhawk helicopters and HU-25 Guardian jets assigned. Today, this is an extremely rare occurrence, as CGAS San Diego's HU-25As have been reassigned and there are no fixed-wing aircraft currently assigned to Coast Guard Air Station San Diego.

Relocation proposals

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California State Assembly Bill AB 93 created the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority in 2001. The SDCRAA believes that Lindbergh Field will reach capacity between 2015 and 2022. In June 2006, SDCRAA board members selected Marine Corps Air Station Miramar as its preferred site for a replacement airport, despite military objections. On November 7, 2006, San Diego County residents defeated an advisory relocation which included a joint use proposal measure. This presents an interesting twist on San Diego's aviation future. Industry experts agree that Lindbergh Field will in fact run out of capacity, although when can be debated.

The airport is operating with 71% of its total gate capacity of 60 gates and will soon add 10 more gates taking the airport to 92% of its total gate capacity.

Twenty-two studies have been conducted on where to place an airport dating back to 1923. The first study developed the site location plan for Lindbergh field. Eighteen studies were conducted by private groups, most in the early days by those who were opposed to Lindbergh being built instead of on land set aside at what is now Montgomery Field. One was a revisitation of a study done in the 80's by the City in a "pre-BRAC" push in 1994 when Miramar closed and was then transferred to a Marine Base. 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. This study is the first study ever done to look for a new site by an agency that actually had jurisdiction over the issue, and the first non-site specific comprehensive study of the entire region.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 is composed of Terminal 1 East and Terminal 1 West with 19 Gates: 1 - 19

Note: International Arrivals, excluding flights from airports with border preclearance, are handled in Terminal 2.

Terminal 1 East (Gates 1-10)

Terminal 1 West (Gates 11-19)

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 is composed of Terminal 2 West and Terminal 2 East. It has 22 Gates: 20 - 41

Note: Terminal 2 handles all international arrivals at Lindbergh (excluding airports with border preclearance), as well as the following departing flights:

• NoteTemplate:Fn: Check-in for Northwest Airlines is processed at the Delta ticket counter. Gates for each airline remain separate.

Commuter Terminal

The Commuter Terminal has 4 Gates: 1 - 4

Cargo airlines

General aviation

Landmark Aviation is the FBO (fixed base operator) at San Diego International Airport. Landmark services all aircraft ranging from single engine Cessna aircraft to four engine Boeing 747s. Generally they service corporate traffic to the airport. The FBO ramp is located at the north-east end of the airfield. Landmark Aviation was formerly known as Jimsair Aviation Services. Jimsair was the FBO at the airport for 55 years, until July 2008, when they were purchased by Landmark.

Other nearby commercial airports

Tijuana International Airport is directly adjacent the US border. The Tijuana airport offers intercontinental nonstop flights to Tokyo-Narita and Shanghai, as well as many destinations within Mexico. The capture of US passengers on these international flights from the San Diego region are unknown. Various proposals for cross border terminals have been discussed over the years with no resolution to date. Such an arrangement would require substantial coordination with the United States Department of State to resolve any regulatory issues.

Other nearby military airports

Naval Air Station North Island is located directly across San Diego Bay from Lindbergh Field, approximately 1.5 mi (2.4 km) to the south.

Accidents and incidents

• On the morning of 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, killing all 135 people on Flight 182 and the two people on the Cessna.

Awards

• Airports Council International (ACI) ranked San Diego-Lindbergh Field the #4 best airport in North America in 2007. ACI also ranked SAN the #2 best airport in the world with 15-25 million passengers in 2007.

See also

• California World War II Army Airfields

References

1. ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for SAN PDF, effective 2007-10-25
2. San Diego International Airport
3. San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
4. Official site
5. Airlines serving San Diego
6. Nonstop cities from San Diego
7. Ambassablog
8. California Assembly Bill 93
9. SDCRAA Projects SAN Will Reach Capacity Between 2015-2022
10. Airport Measure Shot Down
11. SDCRAA Endorses Miramar For New Airport Site, Despite Military Protest (San Diego Tribune: June 5, 2006)
12. "Habrá vuelo de Aeroméxico México-Loreto-San Diego". Tribuna de Los Cabos (in Spanish). 2009-03-21. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
13. Vasari, Marie (2009-02-19). "Allegiant to offer L.A., San Diego flights". The Monterey County Herald. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
14. Ermisch, Markus (2008-12-18). "WestJet adds sun stops". Calgary Sun. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
15. Tijuana International Airport Narita (NRT) Aeroméxico Route
16. Tijuana International Airport Shanghai (PVG) Aeroméxico Route
17. San Diego-Lindbergh Field Ranked #4 Best Airport In North America

External links

• San Diego International Airport - official site
• the Flight Planner section of the airport's web site.
• The Ambassablog - 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
• San Diego Airport Parking
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective December 26, 2024
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KSAN
  • ASN accident history for SAN
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KSAN
  • FAA current SAN delay information

• Airports in California
• Buildings and structures in San Diego, California
• Transportation in San Diego, California