Board seeks resumption of overseas air service; Airport Authority to offer carriers mix of incentives

Airport officials want to make Lindbergh Field more worldly, creating a program aimed at bringing overseas service back to the airfield four years after British Airways halted nonstop flights to London.

The airport handles about 300 departures daily, none landing outside North America. Four airlines offer regular round-trip flights to Canada and Mexico.

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority board agreed Thursday to woo international carriers through a mix of financial incentives, including $750,000 to promote any new overseas flights.

The agency is willing to temporarily waive or reduce terminal rents and landing fees for airlines offering direct or single-stop links to other continents.

In recent years, several commercial airports in the West have offered similar incentives, with some success.

Hampton Brown, an Airport Authority expert on route development, said Lindbergh is ripe for flights to Asia and Europe.

He said about 500,000 people fly out of San Diego International Airport annually, heading for points overseas. But, he added, they often have to make two or three stops before reaching their destinations.

In 2001, British Airways introduced nonstop flights between Lindbergh and Europe, but halted the daily service in late 2003, citing financial problems in the aftermath of 9/11.

AeroMexico and Alaska Airlines offer regular flights to Los Cabos. Air Canada flies to Toronto and Vancouver, while US Airways goes to two cities in Mexico.