In June 2022, the San Diego International Airport (SAN) served more than 2.06 million passengers, reaching a COVID-19 high. It is the first time since December 2019 that the airport surpassed the two million passengers barrier, fueled by an increase in domestic traffic demand. Nonetheless, some challenges remain.
The recovery so far
San Diego International Airport had 10.03 million passengers between January and June 2022, surpassing by 72.8% the traffic numbers in 2021. Nonetheless, the Californian airport is still below its pre-COVID levels, by around 17.1%, according to the latest data released by its authorities. The leading airlines operating at SAN are Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines. Their market shares range from 10% to 39.7% at SAN.
June was a good month, as the airport reached a COVID-19 pandemic record number of passengers served in one month. It had 2,068,397 passengers, making it the first time SAN welcomed more than two million passengers since December 2019. When compared year over year, passenger traffic is up 30.2%.
Kimberly Becker, President & CEO of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, said,
“SAN has seen a steady increase in passenger numbers as demand for summer travel continues. Reaching more than two million passengers is a milestone we can celebrate as our region continues to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
More demand and connectivity
The increase in passengers at SAN can be attributed partly to a rise in available nonstop flights to domestic and international destinations. In June 2022, San Diego offered 75 nonstop destinations, eight more routes than last year. Additionally, Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines have increased the number of flights offered to ten key destinations.
Southwest and Alaska remain the top players in the airport. Southwest flies to 31 destinations in the United States and one international in Mexico, San José del Cabo. Meanwhile, Alaska flies to 30 destinations, including Puerto Vallarta and San José del Cabo in Mexico.
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The airport also has commercial service from Air Canada, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airline, Japan Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Lufthansa, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country, Swoop Airlines, United Airlines, and WestJet.
New funds
Last month the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded San Diego International Airport (SAN) US$24 million in discretionary grant funds. The airport will use this money to continue the construction of its new Terminal 1.
The new program will replace the current Terminal 1, which dates back to 1967, “with a modern and efficient facility and includes improvements to the airfield and transportation improvements to make it easier to get to and from the airport.”
Kimberly Becker said these funds are crucial to the continued efforts to transform San Diego’s air transportation gateway. The FAA granted US$5 billion for airport terminal projects throughout the country. Last month the first US$1 billion was awarded, with funding granted to 85 airports across the country. You can read more about it here.