San Diego Airports: A Comprehensive Guide To Air Travel

San Diego is served by two international airports: San Diego International Airport, also known as Lindbergh Field, and Tijuana International Airport, also known as General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport. There are also several other towered general aviation airports in the region, including Brown Field Municipal Airport, Gillespie Field, and Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.

San Diego International Airport

The airport is just 20 miles from the Mexico-US border at Tijuana, and Tijuana International Airport is just across the border. This makes Tijuana International Airport a convenient option for those travelling from San Diego to Mexico or Latin America, with cheaper fares, more flight times, and more Latin American cities served. Shuttles leave from San Diego and take passengers directly to Tijuana Airport.

Other airports serving the San Diego area include McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, California, which serves private and chartered flights, as well as commercial flights from airlines including JSX, Advanced Air, and American Airlines.

Tijuana International Airport

The airport is named after General Abelardo L. Rodríguez, a former Governor of Baja California and late President of Mexico. It is the fifth busiest airport in Mexico and the 16th busiest in Latin America, having handled 12.5 million passengers in 2024. The airport has witnessed significant growth over the years, with passenger numbers increasing from 8.9 million in 2019 to 12.5 million in 2024.

Tijuana Airport has served as a strategic hub for several airlines over the years. Airlines such as Aero California, TAESA, Aerolíneas Internacionales, Líneas Aéreas Azteca, and Avolar have established hubs at the airport, offering extensive domestic networks within Mexico. Volaris, which initiated operations at the airport in 2006, has transformed Tijuana into a significant hub, providing connections to more than 35 destinations.

McClellan-Palomar Airport

The San Diego area is served by several airports, including the international airports San Diego International Airport and Tijuana International Airport. Another airport in the region is the McClellan-Palomar Airport, which is located in Carlsbad, California, and is a public airport serving the general aviation community, corporate aircraft, and commercial services.

The airport is classified as an ARC B-II airport, which means it caters to smaller aircraft with lower approach speeds and shorter wingspans or tail heights. However, the airport has seen some larger aircraft operate with the discretion of pilots. The airport has been the subject of some controversy, with a group called Citizens for a Friendly Airport suing the county over the environmental impact of projects in the master plan. Despite this, the airport is popular due to its proximity to business and recreation, with major corporations and world-class resorts just minutes away.

Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport

The Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (IATA: MYF, ICAO: KMYF, FAA LID: MYF) is located six miles (10 km) north of San Diego's central business district. During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces took control of the airport and renamed it "Gibbs Auxiliary Field". It was used as a support airfield for the contractor pilot school at Ryan Field, near Hemet, and for training activities at the United States Army Desert Training Center in the Mojave Desert. It also served as an auxiliary airfield for Lindbergh Field in San Diego and as a storage facility for newly manufactured aircraft. Following the war, the airport was returned to civil control.

Today, the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport is one of the busiest airports in the U.S. for small aircraft. It is home to several flying clubs, flight schools, business turboprops, and jets. The San Diego Fire Department also bases its aircraft here. In April 2021, the airport completed a $10 million upgrade that included six new hangars, a fueling facility for private jets and propeller planes, and a new two-story building housing a flight school and an executive lounge.

The airport has had its share of incidents. On September 25, 1978, a mid-air collision occurred between a Cessna 172 and a PSA Boeing 727, resulting in the disintegration of the Cessna and the crash of flight 182. Other crashes include a Piper 601P in 1983, a Beech 56TC in the same year, a Mooney M20L in 2014, a Beechcraft Bonanza in 2017, and a Great Lakes Sport Trainer in 2020.

The airport can be contacted at 3750 John J. Montgomery Drive San Diego, CA 92123, or via phone at 858-573-1440.

Gillespie Field

San Diego is served by several airports, including San Diego International Airport, Tijuana International Airport, and Brown Field Municipal Airport. One of the airports serving the city is Gillespie Field, a county-owned public-use airport located 10 miles (16 km) northeast of the central business district of San Diego in El Cajon.

History

In 1942, the United States Marine Corps selected a 668-acre site east of San Diego for parachute training for newly formed parachute battalions. Camp Gillespie, named after Lieutenant Archibald H. Gillespie, a Marine officer who played a key role in California's separation from Mexico in the 1840s, was completed in September of that year. The camp featured three 256-foot-high towers from which paratroopers practised their jumps. In February 1944, the camp was commissioned as Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield Gillespie, under the command of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro.

Present Day

Today, Gillespie Field is a general aviation facility owned by San Diego County. It covers 758 acres and has three asphalt runways. The airport is home to the Gillespie Field Annex, the restoration facility for the San Diego Air & Space Museum. The museum is open to the public and features vintage and modern aircraft on display, including an Atlas ICBM rocket, a restored F-102A Delta Dagger with AIM-4A Falcon missiles, and a Grumman F-14A Tomcat used in the film Top Gun: Maverick.

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