SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

'San Diego International Airport' , also known as 'Lindbergh Field', is located in San Diego, California. San Diego International Airport is the second busiest single-runway commercial airport in the world, with approximately 600 departures and arrivals carrying 40,000 passengers each day, and over 17 million passengers a year. The busiest single-runway airport in the ''world'' is London Gatwick Airport. However, Gatwick has the advantage of a longer runway, a standby maintenance runway, flat terrain, no curfew, three times the area, and plans to double in size beyond 2019 and add another runway.^[1]
SAN occupies the smallest land footprint of any large commercial airport in the United States, occupying 661 acres (2.67 km²) of land.

Contents

History

Flight operations

Reverse operations

Noise curfew

Current status

USCG operations

Relocation proposals

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Terminal 1

Terminal 2

Commuter Terminal

Cargo airlines

Charter airlines

Future airlines

Previous airlines

Public Art

See also

References

Notes

External links

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. 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 Guards' fixed-wing aircraft make use of the runway at Lindbergh Field.
World War II brought significant change to the airfield when the U.S. 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 foot runway, made the airport "jet-ready' long before jet passenger planes came into widespread service [1]. 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.
Tragedy struck on September 25 1978, when a Pacific Southwest Airlines Boeing 727, operating as PSA Flight 182, suffered a mid-air collision with a privately owned Cessna 172 while on final approach to Lindbergh Field. One hundred and twenty-eight passengers and seven crew members on board the Boeing, two on board the Cessna and seven people on the ground were killed. This disaster remains the single worst aircraft accident in California history.
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 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 operations at SAN are to the 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 feet to sea level in less than a mile. Aircraft normally descend at 317' per mile, but in San Diego they must descend at 376' per mile. San Diego's only runway is located at the base of a hill lined with obstructions, from the I-5 freeway, Balboa Park and a parking structure situated right on the final approach. 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 1810 feet from the runway end, effectively shortening the landing distance to 7591 feet. Aircraft departing to the west use the east end of the runway as their departure point. A photo from the cockpit of an arriving aircraft clearly shows the approach and the displaced threshold.

Reverse operations

Under fog or 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' per nautical mile leaving an equivalent takeoff distance of roughly 8,700' compared to a non-terrain airport. Taking off to the east requires a 600' per mile climb rate, this leaves an equivalent takeoff distance of 6,400', 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' in length at each runway end. An Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) has been installed at the west end of the runway to catch any aircraft overruns. The east end of the runway does not have such a system as its use would reduce the runway length by at least 400', further impacting the runway's capability.

Noise curfew

SAN is located in a highly populated area. To appease the airport's neighbors' concerns over noise, 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 2007, San Diego International Airport is served by 19 airlines and will fly to 55 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The last intercontinental service was a San Diego-London Heathrow Route served by British Airways. The route was cancelled in 2003. Although the number of passengers passing through SAN has increased dramatically since then, no airlines have decided to file for intercontinental service due to the weight penalties imposed by the rising terrain both east and west of the airport. The weight limitations would damage the economic viability of long haul international service.

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 air station is physically separated from the rest of the airfield, such 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 airfiled and the air station, and also stops traffic while aircraft are transversing the street.

Relocation proposals

California 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.^[2] 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 70% of its total gate capacity of 64 gates and will soon add 10 more gates taking the airport to 86% of it's total gate capacity. There has also been some thought given to the creation of a supplemental airport (possibly a smaller Miramar or Camp Pendleton airport at some point in the future with close parallel runways) because of the level of investment that will now be required to maximize Lindbergh Field's efficiency going forward until it is effectively "out of capacity" driving demand for a new airport. Lindbergh might be used in the same way Midway, Hobby and Love Field are with the new airport being used by the major carriers and cargo carriers.
The current site of the airport is bounded by San Diego Bay, military facilities, and residential areas. Extension into the bay is an undesirable option because the required landfill would interfere with nearby U.S. naval operations and shipping lanes. Furthermore, such an addition would not properly address projected capacity demands. The adjacent military land remains in active use and is not currently available, over 60% of the land has structures of historical significance that will preclude demolition. Using residential land, although possible through eminent domain, is publicly and politically unpopular.
There have been 22 studies on where to put an airport dating back to 1923. The first was the selection of Lindbergh. Eighteen were 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

Complete information on flights to and from SAN is available at the Flight Planner section of the airport's web site.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 has 19 Gates: 1 - 19
'Note:' International Arrivals are handled in Terminal 2.

★ Air Canada (Toronto-Pearson)

★
★ Air Canada Jazz (Vancouver)

★ Alaska Airlines (Portland (OR), Los Cabos, San Francisco [ends September 30], Seattle/Tacoma)

★
★ Horizon Air (Boise, Portland (OR), Spokane)

★ Southwest Airlines (Albuquerque, Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago-Midway, El Paso, Houston-Hobby, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville, Oakland, Phoenix, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Tucson)

★ United Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Honolulu [seasonal], San Francisco, Washington-Dulles)

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 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:

★ Aeroméxico (Los Cabos, Mexico City)

★ AirTran Airways (Atlanta, Orlando [seasonal])

★ Alaska Airlines (See Terminal 1)

★ Aloha Airlines (Kahului)

★ American Airlines (Boston, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York-JFK, St. Louis)

★ Continental Airlines (Cleveland [seasonal], Houston-Intercontinental, Newark)

★ Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City)

★
★ Delta Connection operated by SkyWest (Salt Lake City)

★ Frontier Airlines (Denver, Mazatlán [seasonal; begins December 15])

★ Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu, Kahului)

★ JetBlue Airways (Boston, New York-JFK, Salt Lake City, Washington-Dulles)

★ Midwest Airlines (Kansas City)

★ Northwest Airlines (Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul)

★ Skybus Airlines (Columbus)

★ Sun Country Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul)

★ US Airways (Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix)

★
★ US Airways operated by America West Airlines (Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Phoenix)

★
★ US Airways Express operated by Mesa Airlines (Los Cabos, Phoenix, Puerto Vallarta)

Commuter Terminal

The Commuter Terminal has 4 Gates: 1 - 4

★ American Airlines

★
★ American Eagle (Los Angeles, San Jose (CA))

★ Delta Air Lines

★
★ Delta Connection operated by ExpressJet Airlines (Los Angeles)

★ ExpressJet Airlines (Bakersfield, Boise, Colorado Springs, Fresno, Monterey, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Spokane, Tulsa)

★ United Airlines

★
★ United Express operated by SkyWest (Los Angeles)

Cargo airlines

★ Capital Cargo International Airlines

★ DHL Operated by ABX Air (Wilmington (OH))

★ FedEx Express (Memphis, Indianapolis, Oakland)

★ United Parcel Service (Ontario (CA), Louisville)

Charter airlines

★ Allegiant Air (Laughlin, Reno) [Occasional Service]

Future airlines

★ Virgin America (Service Starting Late 2007)

Previous airlines

Since the deregulation of air travel in the United States in 1978, many airlines have carried their passengers through San Diego on a scheduled or chartered basis. Some of these airlines may have lasted one or two years at the most. But other more established carriers have also ceased operations due to economics. In addition, several international airlines have come and later found San Diego unprofitable, as there is a weight penalty from SAN that prevents a wide-bodied jet fully loaded (with passengers, fuel and cargo) from taking off from the terrain impacted runway. The effective runway length at Lindbergh due to rising terrain east and west of the airport is about 8,700' for runway 27 and 6,400' for runway 9. A Boeing 777 takes a 35,000-70,000 lb (15,900-31,800 kg) weight penalty depending on the version of the aircraft given the effective runway length, but the 787 could fare better. According to Boeing, the 787-8 with the high thrust engine variant will only require 7,800' (2,377 m) of runway, but the standard is 9,200' (2,804 m) of runway requiring a 20,000 lb (9,100 kg) weight penalty - again due to terrain. The following list comprises airlines which provided scheduled or regular charter service to Lindbergh Field.

★ Aero California Route deemed unprofitable ¹

★ Aeroservicios de California Unknown demise

★ Air Bahia Unknown demise

★ Air California Name changed to Air Cal; acquired by American Airlines in 1987

★ Air Cortez Unknown demise

★ Air Irvine Unknown demise

★ Air LA Ceased Operations in 1991

★ Air Resorts Unknown demise

★ Air West Renamed Hughes Airwest in 1971

★ ATA Airlines Routes deemed unprofitable

★ Aspen Airways Served SAN on a charter basis, acquired by Air Wisconsin in 1991

★ Bonanza Air Lines Merged with Pacific Air Lines & West Coast Airlines in 1968 to form Air West

★ Braniff Airways Declared bankruptcy in 1989

★ British Airways London route suspended as a result of passenger / fare downturn after 9/11 and precedent to second Iraq War

★ British Caledonian Introduced service to London Gatwick via LAX; acquired by British Airways in 1988

★ Canadian Airlines Vancouver route terminated when Air Canada purchased Canadian Airlines

★ Cochise Airlines Unknown demise

★ Dash Air Unknown demise

★ Denver Ports of Call Operated frequent charters to SAN; changed name to Skyworld Airlines in 1986; ceased operations in 1989

★ Eastern Air Lines Declared bankruptcy in 1991

★ Frontier Airlines Acquired by People Express in 1985; soon after folded into Continental Airlines ²

★ Golden West Airlines Ceased operations in 1983

★ Hughes Airwest Acquired by Republic Airlines in 1980

★ Imperial Airlines Operated commuter flights to LAX; ceased operations in 1986.

★ Independence Air Operated flight to Washington Dulles; ceased operations in 2006.

★ MarkAir Operated flights to DEN; Declared bankruptcy in 1995

★ Morris Air Operated flights to SLC; acquired by Southwest Airlines in 1995

★ Muse Air Acquired by Southwest Airlines in 1985 and operated as TranStar Airlines until liquidated in 1987

★ National Airlines (First Version) Acquired by Pan Am in 1980

★ Northeastern International Airlines Declared bankruptcy in 1985

★ Ozark Airlines Operated flights to STL; Acquired by Trans World Airlines (TWA) in 1986

★ Pacific Southwest Airlines Acquired by USAir in 1987

★ Pan American World Airways Routes deemed unprofitable and airline declared bankruptcy in 1991

★ Piedmont Airlines Acquired by USAir in 1989

★ Pride Air Declared bankruptcy in 1985

★ Reno Air Acquired by American Airlines in 1998

★ Republic Airlines Merged with Northwest Orient in 1986 to become Northwest Airlines

★ Scenic Airlines Route deemed unprofitable

★ StatesWest Airlines Operating as USAir Express, it ceased operations in 1993.

★ Sun Aire Lines Acquired by SkyWest in 1984

★ Sunworld Airlines Declared bankruptcy in 1988

★ TranStar Airlines Owned by Southwest Airlines and ceased operations in 1987

★ Trans States Airlines Operated services to LAX on behalf of Trans World Airlines (TWA) and as US Airways Express

★ Trans World Airlines (TWA) Bankruptcy, acquired by American Airlines in 2001

★ Transamerica Airlines Served SAN on a charter basis, declared bankruptcy in 1986

★ Wardair Operated twice weekly flights to YYZ in the late 1980s; Route discontinued after airline acquired by Pacific Western Airlines

★ WestAir Commuter Airlines Acquired by Mesa Airlines in 1993

★ Western Airlines Acquired by Delta Air Lines in 1987

★ Western Pacific Airlines Ceased operations in 1995

★ WestJet Seasonal service to Calgary permanently discontinued after September 2005

★ Wings West Acquired by American Eagle
¹ There is a possibility that Aero California's routes to San Diego were abandoned because they also serve Tijuana International Airport, which is only 15 miles (24 km) away.
² Resume service as the second Frontier Airlines. (See Terminal 2 above)

Public Art

San Diego International Airport Mural located in Terminal 1 (Gates 1&2), created from marble, venetian glass and Byzantine glass.

See also

★ San Diego Harbor Police

References

★ San Diego International Airport (official site)

★

Notes

1. About BAA Gatwick
2. Despite military protests, Airport Authority endorses Miramar for new airport site Karen Kucher

External links

★ Cockpit Video - The final 2 minutes of the approach to Lindbergh all the way to touchdown.

★ 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

★