The site of Dutch Flats is on the other side of Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, near the intersection of Midway and Barnett Avenues.

[15] Inspired by Lindbergh's flight and excited to have made his plane, the city of San Diego passed a bond issue in 1928 for the construction of a two-runway municipal airport.

Frank Hawks departing Lindbergh Field on March 30, 1930, and ending in Van Cortland Park in New York City on April 6, 1930.

[25] This transformation, including an 8,750 ft (2,670 m) runway, made the airport "jet-ready" long before jet airliners came into service.

Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) established its headquarters in San Diego and started service at Lindbergh Field in 1949.

After the Port District performed the necessary upgrades, San Diego Airport's customs facility reopened in 1989 - nevertheless, British Airways ended the route in November 1990.

In July 1996, the Commuter Terminal opened, a small standalone facility where all short-haul flights to Los Angeles boarded regardless of airline.

[32][33] In 2001, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (SDCRAA) was created by California State Assembly Bill 93.

The CAA refused to fund any major enhancements to SDIA through the 1950s, and at various times the city proposed NAS North Island, Mission Bay, and Brown Field as replacements.

[35] While in 1964 the FAA finally agreed to an expansion of SDIA, which led to the construction of today's Terminal 1, it was only allowed with the assurance of San Diego Mayor Charles Dail that it would be a temporary measure until a replacement airport could be found.

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, the SDCRAA projected SAN would be constrained by congestion between 2015 and 2022;[37] the Great Recession, however, extended the forecast capacity limitations into the 2030s.

[46][47] The new facility was partially built into the now-four year old Green Build, adding a new upper level and vertical cores to move passengers from existing Green Build gates (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, and 51) to 55,000 square feet of new international arrivals facilities at the southwest corner of the terminal.

[45] Currently, the airport serves non-stop flights to six countries: Japan, Germany, the UK, Mexico, Canada, and soon the Netherlands.

[56] 2016's ADP also planned for a new airport operations center to replace the one located within the long-decommissioned and now-demolished Commuter Terminal.

[57] A further westward expansion to Terminal 2 West was also called for in the ADP, which would increase the total number of gates at the airport to 61.

Nearby skyscrapers are no factor, but nevertheless the approach has gained notoriety among passengers for the unusual experience of flying relatively low and close to San Diego's densely populated downtown, and has drawn comparisons to Kansas City's Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport and Hong Kong's former Kai Tak Airport.

To appease the concerns of the airport's neighbors regarding noise and to head off any ensuing lawsuits, a curfew was implemented in 1979 whereby takeoffs are only allowed between 6:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. Outside these hours, they are subject to a large fine.

Long term parking is on North Harbor Drive to the east of the terminals and is served by shuttle buses.

[64] There are four public transportation options:[65] Extension of the San Diego Trolley to directly serve the airport terminals, has been proposed several times but has not yet come to fruition.

Located on the south side of the airfield along North Harbor Drive, the building counts among its cargo tenants Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, Hawaiian, Lufthansa, Southwest, Sun Country, and United.

[75][76] A portion of the southeast infield at San Diego International Airport is set aside as a nesting site for the endangered California least tern.

Since 1970, this endangered migratory sea bird has found a suitable nesting site each year in the sand and gravel located in four oval areas between the runway and airplane taxiway.