Regional Air Transportation Needs

More and more people will use San Diego International Airport every year. As the local population increases, hotel room numbers grow, cruise lines expand their offerings, and new companies relocate to San Diego, the demand for air services will rise. There are no plans to build a second runway at San Diego International Airport, so we must maximize the efficiency of the existing airfield and facilities to serve the people and businesses of San Diego.

The planning for San Diego International Airport is a comprehensive effort that addresses both immediate and long-term needs. Under the current Terminal Development Program, optimizing operations at the Airport is necessary

• to meet the demands of a growing population while maintaining the expected level of service.
• to serve the expanding local economy driven by tourism and technology growth.

Growing Population
San Diego’s population is projected to increase by nearly one million residents by 2030. Much like other public facilities, the airport needs to be updated and expanded to accommodate this natural growth. Without improvements, travelers could experience more flight delays, longer security lines, less available parking, higher ticket costs and more crowding in the terminals, not to mention impediments to the region’s economy.

Supporting San Diego’s Global Economy
In July 2007, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation launched its “Partnership for the Global Economy.” This initiative, supported by leading businesses, universities and elected officials, will help ensure San Diego maintains its competitiveness in industries like life sciences, information technology, defense, transportation, precision manufacturing, healthcare and more. Access to air transportation is a critical factor for globally competitive businesses such as these.

Tourism Industry
Tourism is the third-largest industry in San Diego, with 27.2 million visitors in 2006. Source: San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2006

• Visitors arriving by air contribute $2.6 billion in direct spending to the regional economy. Source: 2005-2035 Airport Economic Analysis, May 2006
  
• 60 percent of cruise ship patrons arrive in San Diego via the airport. Source: San Diego Unified Port District
  
• 761,000 total San Diego Convention Center visitors arrived via air travel. This is 35 percent of San Diego County’s total convention visitors. Source: San Diego Convention Center 2006
  
• San Diego County will add nearly 7,000 new hotel rooms by 2009. Source San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau 2007 Projection

High Technology Industry
The technology industry depends on air travel for business and exporting high-value goods and services. On average, high-tech workers in Southern California utilize air travel four times more frequently than workers in other industries. Source: UCSD Study: Catalyst for High-Wage, High-Tech Economic Development 1999