The San Diego International airport, also known as Lindbergh Field, has been serving the City of San Diego for over 75 years, and with a single runway. 16 million travelers pass throught airport tunnels each year; that’s 40,000 per day. These numbers make San Diego the busiest single-runway commercial airport in the nation. Close borders such as the bay, Interstate 5, military land, and downtown’s city center prevent the possibility of expansion. And the need for more space is becoming imminent. According to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the airport’s capacity will be fulfilled by the year 2015. The Airport Authority was created to address the area’s long-term air transportation issues. Fly into the Future holds meetings that allow public input and discussion.
A newsletter has been published, encouraging residential support for the growing need of a larger airport. Advocates are citing growing visitors via air travel, which currently makes up $2 billion of the yearly regional economy. The biotech industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S. economy, attracts young & highly-educated employees, and credits San Diego with its largest hub in the world. Advocates and committee members are emphasizing the importance of advanced planning that will be able to accommodate the needs of a growing city and county. Because a new plan could take 10 to 15 years to implement, the Airport Authority is urging swift input and action.
Other airports with similar capacity are using up to five times the space currently allotted to Lindbergh Field. Recommended plans call for two large separated runways, approximately 3,000 acres of land and placement in an area where noise does not pollute Downtown San Diego and surrounding areas. Industrial parks are also part of this new plan, that will accommodate the commercial shipping businesses based through the airport. Rent collected here along with revenue bonds issued by the state will fund the airport’s construction, not tax money. The Airport Authority is in the process of covering all necessary issues to make this new airport a reality. Plans are being discussed for new and innovative designs that encapsulate the feel of San Diego, following the creativity of airports like Seoul, Korea and Amsterdam, Holland.
Fly into the Future encourages interested parties to get involved at www.san.org.
