Today, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (Airport Authority) celebrates the completion of the Airline Support Building (ASB), a modern 93,000 square-foot building that houses airline belly cargo, ground service equipment maintenance, and serves as a storage area for aircraft provisioning items. The facility provides a convenient location for the public to pick up and drop off live animals or bulky cargo items shipped in the bellies of passenger jets. Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, Delta Airlines, Lufthansa, and United Airlines/PetSafe are all housed in the facility.
“This building culminates the work of all teams at the Airport Authority and delivers on our promise to provide extraordinary customer service,” said Kimberly Becker, the Airport Authority’s President and CEO. “The new ASB provides our airline tenants with an efficient and sustainable building to carry out their cargo operations. I want to thank the many Airport Authority individuals and contractors that had a hand in creating this building.”
“I want to congratulate the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority on the completion of this project,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego). “This is an important first step in the improvements we can look forward to seeing at the airport over the coming months and years. Tourism is a cornerstone of California’s economy, and this is a symbol of the recovery of air travel, the local tourism industry and all the economic benefits that it brings to our region.”
“The new Airline Support Building increases efficiency for airlines that bring millions of travelers to San Diego each year who dine at our restaurants, stay at our hotels, visit our world-class attractions and ultimately bolster our local economy and support small businesses,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “This is the latest example of our Airport Authority delivering another key infrastructure project that benefits the region and helps San Diego prosper.”
The ASB is an energy-efficient building that utilizes natural lighting that enhances a healthy work environment. Seventy percent of the regularly occupied area has access to daylight and views to the outside. The building includes fixtures with efficient flush and flow rates that result in a 42 percent reduction of indoor potable water use. Drought tolerant landscape also helps reduce outdoor potable water use by 75 percent. Natural ventilation was integrated into the design to take advantage of San Diego’s mild climate.
The ASB is a part of the Authority’s Airline Support Facilities which are critically needed to help our airport run efficiently. These facilities provide essential services that support the Authority’s efforts toward overall airfield modernization and enhancing a sustainable environment at SAN. The Airport Authority is currently pursuing LEEDv4 NC-Gold and Zero Net Energy certifications for all four buildings.
The new ASB is located on the south side of San Diego International Airport’s (SAN) airfield along the main roadway towards the airport entrance which improves access for public and transport vehicles.
ABOUT SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (SAN)
San Diego International Airport (SAN) is the busiest single-runway commercial service airport in the U.S. and the third busiest airport in California. In 2019, SAN welcomed 25-million passengers and offered nonstop flights to destinations worldwide. The airport is an economic driver for the region, contributing nearly $12 billion in economic activity in 2019 and supports nearly 116,600 jobs. With anticipated passenger growth in the future, the Airport Authority is continuing progress with the New T1 program that will replace Terminal 1 with a larger, more efficient facility and other improvements that enhance the airport experience. The airport is managed and operated by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. For more information, please visit san.org.
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