[symple_heading style=”” title=”By Robert H. Gleason” type=”h3″ font_size=”” text_align=”left” margin_top=”30″ margin_bottom=”30″ color=”undefined” icon_left=”” icon_right=””]
San Diego County’s aviation history is storied and deep, which gives November — National Aviation History Month — special meaning. This is especially true for San Diego International Airport, which is the centerpiece of much of that history.
Today, the airport is 87 years old and still in its original location. But what started as a bare dirt field is today a $9 billion economic engine sitting on only 661 acres.
Call it “The Little Economic Engine That Could.”
The story of this economic engine goes back to 1883 when John Montgomery conducted the first controlled flight with a heavier-than-air craft (a glider) over Otay Mesa. This was two decades before the Wright Brothers took off at Kitty Hawk.
As aviation caught on, San Diego’s perfect weather was so well suited for flying that aviators flocked here.
The Navy saw the promise of the first successful seaplane flight in 1911 in San Diego, and North Island became “the birthplace of Naval aviation.”
And San Diego was known for building breakthrough aircraft, including Charles Lindbergh’s “Spirit of St. Louis,” which made the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
Air mail took hold, putting new pressure on existing airfields across the country.
In 1915, the Panama-California Exposition fired up a civic desire to open San Diego’s doors to visitors from far away, highlighting San Diego as the first port of call for ships traversing the newly opened Panama Canal.
All of that inspired city leaders to begin the work that led to a new airport.
In 1922, the Chamber of Commerce asked the Harvard architect engaged to create a master plan for San Diego to site a civilian airport. His conclusion — on San Diego Bay near Laurel Street.
That location was close to the heart of the city, the main post office, rail and other transportation, with the Bay providing a safe approach access.
The site was affirmed in 1925, work began in 1926, and in 1928 the airport officially opened for business.
During World War II, San Diego’s aviation industry boomed, attracting an influx of people and forever changing the region. Military aircraft construction reached a fever pitch and, at one point, a B-24 Liberator bomber was completed every eight hours.
After the war, a broader aerospace industry helped define San Diego. Our hometown airline, Pacific Southwest Airlines, launched its first flight on May 6, 1949.
By the late 1960s, 10 percent of the workforce was employed in aerospace, working on missiles, computer systems, electronics, composite materials and more.
Today, San Diego International Airport earns its name. With nonstop service to 61 destinations, it is San Diego’s gateway to the world. Our three major economies — tourism, the military and innovation — depend on our airport.
And the story of our airport’s evolution continues.
1998 – The Terminal 2 expansion opens, and work on a new master plan for the airport begins.
2006 – A ballot measure to move the airport is defeated, forcing reconsideration of the existing site for the long-term.
2013 – The expansion of Terminal 2, with 10 new jet gates, double-deck roadway, new concessions, improved security access and more opens.
Because the airport is not moving in the foreseeable future, the Airport Authority continues to look ahead and plan for literally every square foot of the 661 acres we have to work with today.
The Airport Development Plan currently under way includes replacement of Terminal 1 and other amenities to reduce congestion and improve access.
Airports are generally self-supporting, and the vast majority of our revenue comes from money we generate ourselves from a variety of sources, including passenger ticket fees, airline landing fees, rental car fees, restaurants, shops and parking.
The Airport Authority works hard to be a good steward of the public funds we do receive. Our revenues are continually reinvested into this enduring enterprise for ongoing improvements. We like to say, “We don’t make a profit; we make a better airport.”
As we continue improving the little economic engine that could, we will seek sufficient and appropriate revenue sources. San Diego deserves the best airport we can provide — an airport that will continue to be at the hub of aviation history as it unfolds for future generations.
Robert H. Gleason is chairman of the Board of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.
