San Diego International (KSAN), California
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
San Diego International Airport (KSAN) is a Class 1 towered airport located roughly 29 nautical miles from downtown San Diego, operating a single 9,401-foot runway that handles a mix of scheduled airline, cargo, and business aviation traffic. Customs and Border Protection inspection services are available onsite along with a USDA compliance agreement, and the field carries both 100LL and Jet A fuel. With 230,991 total crossborder-tracked operations and 18,713 business aviation operations recorded for 2025 according to FAA TFMSC data, KSAN ranks among the busiest single-runway commercial airports in the country, a status reflected in the extensive set of ground movement and access restrictions published for the field.
Runways
San Diego International has one paved runway, 09/27, 9,401 ft long and 200 ft wide, with an asphalt and concrete surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
San Diego International has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available 24 hours a day, every day, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
San Diego International has US Customs and Border Protection clearance available onsite, with general clearance for international arrivals. A USDA compliance agreement is in place.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
San Diego International recorded 18,713 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in August. Business aviation traffic at KSAN is concentrated in the summer and early fall months, peaking in August.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month August, 1,807 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
San Diego International averages 0.9 days above 90°F in September. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 77.3°F, and December the coldest, at 66.0°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
San Diego International has published operating constraints in seven categories: access, runway notes, emergency arresting systems, noise procedures, environmental, pavement strength and other notes.
Practice approaches and touch-and-go landings are prohibited.
Ultralight aircraft are prohibited on the airport.
Military aircraft on official business only; contact airport operations for prior permission.
Due to personnel and equipment working on Runway 09-27, a 30-minute prior permission requirement applies from 0830 to 1230Z for all landings and departures.
A 30-minute prior permission requirement applies for aircraft with a wingspan over 171 feet.
In the event of a diversion or irregular operations event, aircraft operators must contact the airport duty manager for prior permission due to limitations associated with handling diverted flights, including restricted gate space, customs services, and aircraft servicing and parking.
The airport is closed to unscheduled transient general aviation aircraft except with prior permission.
Prior permission is required for transient general aviation aircraft.
A light pole extending 40 feet above ground is located 110 feet from the runway end, 260 feet right of centerline.
The approach ratio is 44:1 to the displaced threshold.
On Runway 27, a tree 364 feet above the runway end is located 6,800 feet from the runway end and 1,050 feet right of runway centerline; the approach ratio is 19:1 to the displaced threshold.
Aircraft crossing Runway 09/27 on Taxiway C6 must hold short of Taxiway C6 facing west on Taxiway C, parallel to the runway.
Runway status lights are in operation.
Aircraft exiting Runway 9 at Taxiway D and turning right onto Taxiway Bravo are limited to a maximum wingspan of 136 feet, equivalent to a B757-300W.
An Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS), 315 feet long by 218 feet wide, is located at the departure end of Runway 27.
A departure curfew is in effect; departures are prohibited from 2330 to 0630. Significant fines apply. Medical flights are exempt with the appropriate form. Contact the noise office for details.
Birds are intermittently present on and in the vicinity of the airport.
PCR VALUE: 851/F/A/X/T
The PAPI is unusable beyond 5 degrees left and right of centerline.
Terrain and buildings rise to 500 feet MSL north and east of the airport within 1.5 miles.
To reduce jet blast impact at the north end of Taxiway F, aircraft will not start engines until 800 feet from the north end of Taxiway F, abeam the second parking pad.
Aircraft the size of a 747 or larger are prohibited from making intersection takeoffs.
Cross-bleed engine starts are permitted only on the parallel taxiway with the aircraft aligned on taxiway centerline.
Outboard engines of four-engine aircraft must be kept at idle power for all ground maneuvering.
Pilots are required to contact the ATCT ground controller prior to pushback, tow out, and taxi for traffic advisories.
Taxiway C edge lights are out of service indefinitely.
Taxiing aircraft are prohibited from passing to the south of aircraft located on Taxiway B into the alley located between Gates 7 and 14.
Taxiing aircraft must follow lead-in lines until the aircraft's nose wheel has entered the non-movement area of the alley.
For access to and from Terminal 2 gates 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, and 33-51 and the island and west RON parking ramps, contact ramp control on the published frequency, with a secondary frequency also available, from 0600 to 2400. From 0000 to 0600, contact ground control on the published frequency.
Taxiway A is restricted to aircraft with wingspans of 118 feet or less and tail heights of 45 feet or less.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
San Diego International has five airfields within 13 NM. The closest is North Island NAS (halsey Fld) (KNZY), 2.43 NM southwest.
Part of the Orange County and San Diego area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KSAN
We arrange catering, fuel and trip support here. Supplier prices reach you unchanged; our coordination fee sits on its own line.
The same order, priced two ways.
$2,400.00 catering order at KSAN.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
It does not move with the size of the order.
At cost.
Passed on at the exact amount the processor took.
Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
Is San Diego International (KSAN) open to unscheduled general aviation traffic?
KSAN is closed to unscheduled transient general aviation aircraft except with prior permission. Any transient GA operator must obtain a PPR before arrival, and the same requirement applies to military aircraft operating on official business. Aircraft with a wingspan over 171 feet also require a 30-minute PPR window. Dispatchers should coordinate with airport operations well ahead of any non-scheduled movement, since gate space and ramp access at this airport are managed closely around scheduled carrier traffic.
What is the runway configuration at San Diego International Airport?
San Diego International Airport operates a single runway, 09/27, measuring 9,401 feet long and 200 feet wide with an asphalt-concrete surface. Runway 27 has an Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) at the departure end, 315 feet long by 218 feet wide. Terrain and buildings rise to 500 feet MSL north and east of the field within 1.5 miles. The single-runway layout at KSAN means all traffic, from general aviation to widebody airline flights, shares the same strip.
Are there operating hour restrictions for departures at KSAN?
San Diego International Airport enforces a departure curfew prohibiting takeoffs between 2330 and 0630 local time. Significant fines apply for violations, and the airport's noise office administers the program. Medical flights are exempt from the curfew when operating with the appropriate exemption form. Dispatchers planning late-night or early-morning departures from KSAN need to build schedules around this window or secure the medical flight exemption in advance.
What wingspan restrictions apply to taxiway operations at KSAN?
San Diego International Airport applies several wingspan-based taxiway limits. Taxiway A is restricted to aircraft with wingspans of 118 feet or less and tail heights of 45 feet or less. Aircraft exiting Runway 9 at Taxiway D and turning right onto Taxiway Bravo are limited to a maximum wingspan of 136 feet, roughly equivalent to a B757-300W. Aircraft with a wingspan exceeding 171 feet require a 30-minute prior permission window for operations at the field.
How does business aviation traffic at San Diego International vary through the year?
Business aviation traffic at San Diego International (KSAN) shows a seasonal pattern, with volume concentrated in the summer and early fall months according to FAA TFMSC data. August recorded the highest monthly count at 1,807 operations, followed closely by October at 1,661 and July at 1,696. February was the lowest month at 1,367 operations. Total business aviation operations for 2025 reached 18,713 against overall crossborder-tracked traffic of 230,991 operations at the field.