Brown Field Municipal (KSDM), California
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Brown Field Municipal Airport, identified by the ICAO code KSDM, is a towered public-use airport in San Diego, California, sitting about one mile north of the Mexican border. The field handles a business aviation-heavy traffic mix, with CBP inspection services available onsite for international arrivals. Its longer runway, at nearly 8,000 feet, supports a range of business aircraft, while proximity to high terrain and the border itself shapes several of the airport's published operational cautions.
Runways
Brown Field Municipal has two paved runways. The longest, 08L/26R, is 7,972 ft long and 150 ft wide, with an asphalt and concrete surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Runways are listed longest first.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Brown Field Municipal has Jet A, Jet A+ and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available from 9am to 5pm, daily, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Brown Field Municipal has US Customs and Border Protection clearance available onsite, with general clearance for international arrivals.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Brown Field Municipal recorded 7,287 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in November. Business aviation traffic at KSDM is concentrated late in the year, with November operations well above every other month in 2025.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month November, 825 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Brown Field Municipal averages 3.1 days above 90°F in September and 0.4 freeze days in January. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 80.6°F, and February the coldest, at 66.4°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Brown Field Municipal has published operating constraints in four categories: access, runway notes, noise procedures and other notes.
For clearance delivery when the control tower is closed, contact SoCal Approach.
REIL for runway 08L, PAPI for runways 08L and 26R, HIRL for runway 08L/26R, and MIRL for runway 08R/26L are activated via CTAF.
The runway 26R PAPI is unusable beyond 3 nautical miles.
Be alert when departing runway 08L at night due to rising terrain to the east.
Noise sensitive areas are located approximately one mile west of the airport, half a mile northwest, and two miles north.
Be alert to the airport boundary, located one mile north of the Mexico/USA international border.
For jet fuel after hours, call the FBO; a callout fee applies. Military fuel is available by calling ahead.
No engine operations are permitted on ramps except as necessary for arrivals and departures.
Parachute jumping occurs on the airport and up to three miles east.
Be alert to high terrain reaching 3,566 feet MSL, six miles east of the airport.
Taxiway G west of taxiway B is restricted to aircraft with wingspans of 133 feet or less.
Avoid direct overflight of the Pio Pico Energy Center below 2,000 feet AGL, located three nautical miles east of the airport.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Brown Field Municipal has five airfields within 16 NM. The closest is General Abelardo L. Rodriguez International Airport (MMTJ), 1.94 NM south.
Part of the Orange County and San Diego area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KSDM
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 KSDM.
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 customs available at KSDM for international arrivals?
Brown Field Municipal Airport offers CBP inspection services onsite, according to the airport's customs data. This makes KSDM a practical port of entry option for arrivals from Mexico given its position roughly one mile north of the border. Crews should note the airport boundary itself sits close to that international line, and general remarks flag this for situational awareness. Standard CBP coordination procedures still apply ahead of arrival. The onsite service distinguishes KSDM from airports that require a diversion to a separate customs facility.
What runways does KSDM have and what are their dimensions?
Brown Field Municipal Airport has two paved runways. Runway 08L/26R is the primary strip at 7,972 feet long and 150 feet wide, surfaced in asphalt-concrete. Runway 08R/26L is shorter and narrower at 3,185 feet by 75 feet, surfaced in asphalt. The longer runway accommodates the bulk of business aviation traffic at KSDM given its length, while the shorter parallel runway supports lighter operations. Both runways are lighted, with activation via CTAF for REIL, PAPI, HIRL, and MIRL systems as noted in airport remarks.
Is jet fuel available at KSDM after hours?
Jet fuel at Brown Field Municipal Airport is available, but after-hours service requires calling the FBO directly, and a callout fee applies according to airport remarks. During attended hours, which run daily from 0900 to 1700, jet fuel and 100LL are both on the field. Military fuel is also available at KSDM but only by calling ahead. Dispatchers planning arrivals outside the posted attendance schedule should factor in this callout fee and the need for advance contact rather than assuming walk-up fuel service.
What terrain and airspace hazards should pilots know about at KSDM?
Brown Field Municipal Airport sits near several charted hazards worth noting in preflight planning. High terrain reaching 3,566 feet MSL lies six miles east of the airport, and remarks specifically caution about rising terrain to the east when departing runway 08L at night. Parachute jumping activity occurs both on the airport and up to three miles east. Pilots should also avoid direct overflight of the Pio Pico Energy Center, located three miles east of KSDM, below 2,000 feet AGL. These factors combine to make the eastern departure corridor one requiring extra attention.
Why does KSDM see a spike in business aviation traffic in November?
Business aviation traffic at Brown Field Municipal Airport peaked in November 2025 at 825 operations, notably higher than every other month that year according to FAA TFMSC data. By comparison, the next busiest months, January and April, saw 690 and 687 operations respectively, while August and September dipped to 457 and 417. This pattern shows KSDM's traffic is not evenly distributed across the year, with a clear concentration late in the year. Dispatchers scheduling November trips into KSDM should anticipate busier ramp and airspace conditions than the annual average suggests.