San Diego International Airport, also known as Lindbergh Field, is a public airport 3 mi (4.8 km) northwest of downtown San Diego, California, 15 mi (24 km) from the Mexico – United States border at Tijuana, Mexico. It is operated by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.
San Diego International is the busiest single-runway commercial airport in the United States, and second busiest single use-runway in the world after London Gatwick with about 550 departures and arrivals carrying 50,000 passengers each day, and a total of 17,250,269 passengers in 2012. San Diego is the largest metropolitan area that is not an airline hub or secondary hub; however, the airport is a focus city for Southwest Airlines.
The top five airlines by market share in 2011 were Southwest Airlines (38.45%), United Airlines (15.3%), Delta Air Lines (10.9%), American Airlines (7.9%) and Alaska Airlines (6.5%).
The airport has domestic flights and international ones to Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Japan.
SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT HISTORY
The airport is near the site of the 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 1927 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.
Inspired by Lindbergh’s flight and excited to have made his plane, the city of San Diego passed a bond issue in 1928 for 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.
SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LOCATION
SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FACTS
ICAO/IATA: KSAN/SAN
Lat: 32°44′01″N
Long: 117°11′23″W
Elevation: 17 ft.
Runway length available: 09/27 9401×200 ft.
