San Diego International Airport

San Diego International Airport, also known as Lindbergh Field, is the primary airport for the San Diego metropolitan area. SAN handles around 25 million passengers per year and sits about three miles northwest of downtown San Diego. The airport is famous for having one of the most difficult approaches of any major American airport: incoming flights from the east descend sharply over downtown San Diego, passing close to high-rise buildings before landing on the single runway. This approach, combined with the short runway and surrounding terrain, requires specific pilot training and certain aircraft restrictions. SAN handles a mix of domestic flights dominated by Southwest Airlines, which operates its third-largest base here, plus international service primarily to Mexico, Canada, and a handful of European and Asian destinations. The airport has been expanding its Terminal 2, which handles most international operations, and has a new Terminal 1 under construction that will replace the outdated older building.