Why a San Diego Storm Forced 40 Flights to Divert on New Year's Day

Thousands of passengers faced New Year's Day travel disruption at San Diego International Airport (SAN).

Data showed 40 inbound flights diverted to other locations on January 1. An additional 53 flights were canceled. Nearly 270 flights were delayed, affecting about 40% of the airport’s schedule. This significant event highlights the fragility of air traffic operations. For the latest on operational challenges, visit commercial aviation news.

The Dual Cause: Storm and Equipment

The widespread delays stemmed from a dual operational challenge. A severe Southern California rainstorm caused local flooding. The airport noted some nearby roads were closed. This complicated ground transportation for passengers and staff. Crucially, an air traffic control advisory cited an airport equipment outage as a primary factor. The combination of weather and technical failure severely limited capacity. The FAA often slows traffic during equipment issues to ensure safety. This is a common contingency plan across the US National Airspace System.

Impact on Long-Haul and Domestic Flights

Many diverted flights landed at nearby airports. Los Angeles (LAX) and Phoenix (PHX) received most of the traffic. This included a long-haul flight from Asia. [Japan Airlines] Flight 66 flew 10 hours from Tokyo. After circling, the Boeing 787 diverted to Los Angeles. It later completed the short 30-minute flight to San Diego. Domestic carriers also saw significant delays. A Southwest Airlines flight from Sacramento circled for an hour. It eventually returned to its origin airport. The flight later reached San Diego five hours late.

FAA Diversion Recovery and Airport Context

To manage the influx of diverted aircraft, air traffic control activated a recovery tool. This is known as the FAA Diversion Recovery Tool (DRT). The DRT is designed to give priority handling to diverted flights. This helps them reach their final destination faster. Flights on the DRT are identified by “DVRSN” in their flight plan remarks.

San Diego International Airport is a critical hub. It is the third-busiest airport in California. It is also one of the busiest single-runway commercial service airports globally. The airport handled over 25 million passengers in 2024. Disruption here has a large regional impact. The over 300 flights affected underscore the need for robust contingency plans. This is especially true for weather and technical failures. The incident highlights the challenges of operating a high-volume, single-runway facility.