San Diego Country Regional Airport (SAN) received a Letter of Intent from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with funding of $110 million for airfield improvement of the new Terminal 1 program. The funds will be available to the Airport Authority through FAA grants over a 10-year period.
San Diego airport is constructing a new T1 to replace the current Terminal 1 with a modern and efficient facility to improve the overall passenger experience. The T1 is expected to be ready by 2028 with a deadline for completion for the first phase marked at 2025. The funds will be used for airfield improvements like new and redesigned taxiways and additional aircraft parking spots to reduce aircraft taxiing times and greenhouse gas emissions
Kimberly Becker, airport authority president, and CEO, said: “The FAA’s investment helps SAN and our passengers by allowing for more efficient operations from the minute they arrive to the minute they depart. The Airport Authority team was able to demonstrate to the FAA that the airfield improvements project will provide significant enhancements and allow us to continue serving the region’s air service needs. We appreciate the support of the FAA.”
San Diego Airport has received 12.2 million passengers in July 2022, a 60.5% growth compared to 2021, but still 15.8% below the traffic numbers of 2019, prior to the pandemic.