San Diego International Airport

Historical Timeline
1925 The first daily-scheduled, year-round air passenger service was
inaugurated by Ryan Airlines with service between San Diego
and Los Angeles.

May 10, 1927 Charles A. Lindbergh took off from Dutch Flat in San Diego (the current site
of the Midway Post Office and just north of today's airport) bound for St.
Louis, New York and Paris, on the first solo, non-stop trans-Atlantic flight.

Aug. 16, 1928 The San Diego airfield opened on Pacific Highway and was dedicated in
honor of Charles A. Lindbergh. It was the first federally certified airfield
that could serve all plane types, including seaplanes, earning it the first
ever AAA rating for an airport.

1934 San Diego Municipal Airport was made a permanent international airport
of entry by the U.S. Treasury Department, establishing the airport as San
Diego International Airport.

1942 The Airport’s current runway was constructed.

Dec. 18, 1962 The San Diego Unified Port District was created when the State
Legislature approved Senate Bill 41, which was certified by the County
Board of Supervisors. District purview included ownership and operation
of the Airport.

March 5, 1967 The new East Terminal (now Terminal 1) opened for business.

January 5, 1976 San Diego International Airport invoked a nighttime flight restriction for
airlines flying in and out of the Airport. This action was believed to be the
first formal action of its kind at a major commercial airport within the
continental United States.

July 11, 1979 A new $15 million West Terminal addition (now Terminal 2) was opened.
(Dedicated April 18, 1979)

Jan. 1982 Southwest Airlines began service at the airport offering six round-trip San
Diego-Phoenix flights a day.

Oct. 30, 1983 United Airlines began offering daily flights from San Diego to Honolulu, the
first such regularly scheduled service to Hawaii.
 Historical Timeline

June 1, 1988 British Airways inaugurated service from London to San Diego offering
daily service using 747 and DC-10 aircraft.

Nov. 8, 1995 Airport officials broke ground to initiate the West Terminal expansion, a
highlight of the $165 million airport upgrade to meet passenger demand
into the next century.

July 23, 1996 The Commuter Terminal opened at San Diego International Airport.

Late 1996 The installation of 16 public art works at San Diego International Airport's
West Terminal addition and Commuter Terminal was approved.

Jan. 7, 1998 A 300,000-square-foot expansion of Terminal 2 opened for passenger

traffic. The $232 million airport improvement program was completed and
the Airport Master Plan was launched.

Oct. 14, 2001 Assembly Bill 93 established the San Diego County Regional Airport
Authority Act, which created the Authority as a local entity of regional
government to oversee the Airport operations. The bill also requires the
Authority to adopt the comprehensive airport land use plan and submit a
site selection for the future regional airport.

January 1, 2002 The new Authority begins operation under an interim Authority Board.

Sept. 27, 2002 Governor Davis signed Senate Bill 1896 into law, which amends Assembly
Bill 93 regarding the selection and appointment of Authority Board
members. (The Senate passed the bill on August 30, 2002.)

Dec. 16, 2002 The first meeting of the new permanent Authority Board was held after the
installation ceremony of the board's Executive Committee.

January 1, 2003 Ownership and operations of San Diego International Airport is transferred
to the Authority from the San Diego Unified Port District as required by the
Airport Authority Act.

June 5, 2006 After years of detailed technical analysis and public and stakeholder
outreach and input, the Airport Authority Board, as required by state law,
approves language for the November 2006 county-wide ballot as follows:

‘To provide for San Diego’s long-term air transportation needs, shall the
Airport Authority and government officials work to obtain approximately
3,000 of 23,000 acres at MCAS Miramar by 2020 for a commercial airport,
provided necessary traffic and freeway improvements are made, military
readiness is maintained without expense to the military for modifying or
relocating operations, no local taxes are used on the airport, overall noise
impacts are reduced , and necessary Lindbergh Field improvements are
completed?’