A $2.265 billion terminal project will soon begin taking shape at the San Diego International Airport. After undergoing an environmental impact review last year, the 1.2 million square foot terminal is anticipated to be complete by early 2027.
The project, also referred to as Terminal 1, a joint venture between the San Diego Airport Authority, Turner Construction and Flatiron Development. Once completed, the project will replace the 53-year old terminal and add an additional 30 gates to the San Diego International Airport.
“Today we took an important vote that will help ensure our airport can accommodate expected passenger growth well into the future and ensure our customers and their families are treated to a better airport experience than today’s Terminal 1 can provide,” April Boling, Airport Authority Board chairman, said at the time of the project’s approval. “The plan will also ensure the airport can continue to function as an economic engine for the region for decades to come.”
Construction of the project will take place in two phases so as to ensure the current gates are available during buildout. In the first phase, which will finish in the first quarter of 2025, 19 gates will be added to the existing structure. The next phase, scheduled to open in early 2027, will add 11 new gates. In total, the airport will have a total of 62 gates at the end of the project.
As well as the added space, the construction project would include more gate-area seating, restaurants, shopping and additional security checkpoints with more lanes.
Plans also call for roadway and transportation improvements to provide easier access to the airport, with one airport entry road removing an estimated 45,000 cars per day from the entrance at Harbor Drive.
While updating the existing terminal, the Airport Authority also aims to offer a variety of energy-efficient features. For instance, redesigned taxiways will help reduce aircraft taxiing times, which will result in less greenhouse gas emissions. An underground fuel-delivery system also is being planned to limit the use of trucks to deliver fuel to aircrafts. Plans also call for the expansion of current stormwater systems that capture and reuse more than 39 million gallons of rain each year.
Additional sustainable features include electric vehicle charging stations, a bicycle path on Harbor Drive and employee incentives to promote alternative commuting habits.
“Our emissions are now among the lowest in the country,” Kim Becker, president of the Airport Authority, said. “In fact, we are one of only two airports in North America to achieve a carbon neutrality certification under the Airport Carbon Accreditation program.”
Current plans will replace the existing 1960s-era terminal. According to the Airport Authority, the San Diego International Airport is the busiest single-runway commercial airport in the nation, and has seen record passenger growth. Most recent data shows that this growth has had a major impact on Terminal 1, with most recent data in 2019 indicating it served more than 12 million passengers that year. In the year it was built, the terminal served 2.5 million passengers. As of 2019, the airport served approximately 25 million passengers, with more than 1 million international passengers.
The San Diego Airway declined to provide an updated comment at this time. The Turner-Flatiron team also was reached out to, but did not respond in time to comment on this story.
