San Diego International Airport: a leading transnational airport differentiates to compete

San Diego International Airport serves a large swathe of Southern California, its big catchment area spreading north towards Los Angeles and overlapping with that city's main airport, as well as at least one other in the LA suburbs. San Diego is the second most populous city in California; the airport serves its immediate population and also acts as a gateway to northern Mexico.

That catchment area also extends into northern Mexico and particularly the border city of Tijuana, with which San Diego combines to form an impressive transnational economic sub-region. But while the airport has historically offered air services for Mexicans as well as for US citizens, it is facing a new challenge. The smaller Tijuana Airport has built a cross-border terminal that could potentially attract passengers away from the San Diego airport.

This report looks at present and future growth trends at the airport, local airport statistics, how San Diego matches up to competing airports in the US and Mexico across a range of metrics, at future construction activities, and at ownership.