San Diego International Airport
San Diego International Airport Lindbergh Field | |||||||||||
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| File:San Diego Airport logo.png | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | San Diego County Regional Airport Authority | ||||||||||
| Location | San Diego, California | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 17 ft / 5 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°44′01″N 117°11′23″W / 32.73361°N 117.18972°W | ||||||||||
| Website | www.san.org | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2008) | |||||||||||
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San Diego International Airport (IATA: SAN, ICAO: KSAN, FAA LID: SAN), also known as Lindbergh Field, is a 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.[3][1]
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.
The airport is located near the site of the old Ryan Airlines factory, but it is not the same as Dutch Flats, the Ryan airstrip where Charles Lindbergh flight tested the Spirit of St. Louis before his historic transatlantic flight. The site of Dutch Flats is on the other side of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, in the Midway area, near the current intersection of Midway and Barnett avenues.[4]
SAN occupies the smallest land footprint of any large commercial airport in the United States, occupying 661 acres (2.67 km2) of land.
The top three airlines in terms of market share are Southwest Airlines 36.2%, Delta/Northwest 10.9%, and United 10.6%.
History
Inspired by Lindbergh's historic flight and excited to have made the plane he flew, the city of San Diego passed a bond issue in 1928 for construction of a two-runway municipal airport to be operated by the city. Lindbergh himself encouraged the building of the airport and agreed to lend his name to it.[5] The new airport, dedicated on August 16, 1928, was given the name San Diego Municipal Airport - Lindbergh Field. This naming occurred because San Diego holds the honor of being the city from which Lindbergh began the journey that would ultimately become the first solo transatlantic flight, in addition to being the place where his aircraft was designed, built, and tested, at Dutch Flats.
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 Highway. The airport also served 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 made use of the runway at Lindbergh Field until the mid 1990's when the fixed wing aircraft were retired.
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.[6] 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 on the north side of the airport was used until the 1960s, but by that time, air traffic in San Diego had increased considerably and new facilities were needed badly. As downtown San Diego developed, one of the airport's two runways was closed leaving only one functional runway. 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 m2) in 1998.
Originally funded, built and operated by the City of San Diego, then 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.
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 and west do not land at the end of the runway as at most airports due to terrain at each end of the runway.
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.
Lindbergh Field does not have standard runway safety areas 1,000 ft (300 m) in length at each runway end. An engineered materials arresting 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 some Marginal and IFR 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 am. These times, however, are pushback times. First takeoff roll is at 6:30 am.
Current status
As of June, 2009, San Diego International Airport is served by 20 passenger airlines[7] and five cargo airlines which fly nonstop to 44 destinations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.[8]
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 14 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[9] - 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 testing a new system of airfield lights called Runway Status Lights (RWSL). Its is also rehabilititing the north taxiway and replacing its airfield lighting and signage with energy efficient LED lights where possible (LEDs are only permissible for use on Taxiway Lights and Signage at this time) and constructing 10 new gates for Terminal 2 West.
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 North Harbor Drive, 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
California State Assembly Bill AB 93[10] created the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority in 2001. The SDCRAA believes that Lindbergh Field will reach capacity between 2015 and 2022.[11] 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.[12][13]
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 1994 when Miramar closed as a Navy Base 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. 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
San Diego International Airport
(as of September 2008)
San Diego International Airport
(as of September 2008)
Planes at Terminal 2
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)
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore, Chicago-Midway, Denver, El Paso, Houston-Hobby, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville, Oakland, Phoenix, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Tucson |
Terminal 1 West (Gates 11-19)
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Canada Jazz | Calgary, Vancouver |
| Alaska Airlines | Los Cabos, Portland (OR), Seattle/Tacoma |
| United Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, San Francisco, Washington-Dulles |
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:
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Aeroméxico | Los Cabos, Mexico City |
| AirTran Airways | Atlanta, Milwaukee |
| Allegiant Air | Bellingham, Monterey |
| American Airlines | Boston [seasonal], Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York-JFK, St. Louis [ends November 19] |
| Continental Airlines | Houston-Intercontinental, Newark |
| Delta Air Lines | Atlanta, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City |
| Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines | Salt Lake City |
| Frontier Airlines | Denver |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Honolulu |
| JetBlue Airways | Boston, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City [seasonal], Seattle/Tacoma [seasonal] |
| Northwest AirlinesTemplate:Fn | Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul |
| Sun Country Airlines | Minneapolis/St. Paul |
| US Airways | Charlotte, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Phoenix |
| Virgin America | San Francisco |
| WestJet | Calgary |
- 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
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| American Eagle Airlines | Los Angeles |
| United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines | Los Angeles |
Cargo airlines
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Capital Cargo International Airlines | Denver |
| DHL Express operated by ABX Air | Wilmington (OH) |
| FedEx Express | Memphis, Indianapolis, Ontario (California) - carries 78% of all SAN freight |
| UPS Airlines | Louisville, Honolulu |
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[14] as well as to many destinations within Mexico. When Aeromexico began offering flights from Tijuana to Asia they hoped to attract passengers from both sides of the border, including those from as far away as Orange County. The airline offers complimentary shuttle service from San Diego. [15] 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.
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.
MCAS Miramar is located 13 miles north-east of Lindbergh Field.
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.[16] ACI also ranked SAN the #3 best airport in the world with 15-25 million passengers in 2008.
Endangered species habitat
A portion of the southeast infield at San Diego International Airport is set aside as a nesting site for the endangered California Least Tern. The least tern nests on three ovals from March through September. Approximately 135 nests were established there in 2007.[17]
See also
References
- ^ a b FAA Airport Form 5010 for SAN PDF, effective 2007-10-25
- ^ San Diego International Airport
- ^ San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
- ^ Port of San Diego map
- ^ CharlesLindbergh.com
- ^ Official site
- ^ Airlines serving San Diego
- ^ Nonstop cities from San Diego
- ^ Ambassablog
- ^ California Assembly Bill 93
- ^ SDCRAA Projects SAN Will Reach Capacity Between 2015-2022
- ^ Airport Measure Shot Down
- ^ SDCRAA Endorses Miramar For New Airport Site, Despite Military Protest (San Diego Tribune: June 5, 2006)
- ^ Tijuana International Airport Narita (NRT) Aeroméxico Route
- ^ "Aeromexico hopes nonstop flights from Tijuana to Tokyo expand its clientele".
- ^ San Diego-Lindbergh Field Ranked #4 Best Airport In North America
- ^ Davis, Rob (2007-08-31). "Wildlife Agency Gets Pushback in Downgrading Endangered Bird". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
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 August 8, 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
- IMDB movie: Billy Wilder's "The Spirit of St. Louis", staring James Stewart, 1957