San Diego is within 20 miles of 4 airports with control towers: San Diego International, Montgomery-Gibbs Executive, Gillespie Field and Brown Field Municipal. Most planes you see over San Diego are taking off from or landing at one of them. Airports take off and land into the wind, so when the wind changes, the paths over San Diego change too.
Right now over San Diego
Live aircraft within about 8 miles of San Diego, updated every 30 seconds.
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Which way the airports are landing right now
Planes take off and land into the wind. Here is the wind at each airport right now, and what it means for the planes over San Diego.
Tap the map to see how often planes pass over that spot. Zoom in with + and –, or pinch with two fingers. 📍 shows where you are. ⤢ goes back to the full view.
Arriving planes don’t fly straight to the runway. Controllers line them up like cars merging onto a highway, often 10 to 20 miles or more from the airport, and fly them along the side of the airport before turning them toward the runway. That is why a town several miles from an airport can sit right under the line of arriving planes, and why it changes when the airport switches direction.
Flight paths over San Diego: what the recorded flights show
We’ve recorded months of flights below 10,000 feet over this area. Here’s what they show for San Diego, and which way the wind sets the runways at each nearby airport. These are averages: any single day can be quieter or busier.
- Aircraft rarely fly right over the center of San Diego: under a minute a day on average.
- The busiest flight path near San Diego is about 1.1 miles northeast of the center of San Diego, where an aircraft is overhead about 70 minutes a day (very roughly 420 flights), usually around 600 ft above the main airport.
- There: 100% low, under 4,000 ft.
- Most of them are heading west.
- It’s busiest on days the wind blows from the northwest (about 1.7 hours a day), and quieter when it blows from the east (24 minutes).
Which way the wind sets the runways
- San Diego International (SAN), 1.9 miles northwest: over the past year, whenever there was a breeze, it favored landing toward the west (runway 27) 81% of the time and toward the east (runway 9) 19%. When SAN lands toward the west, arriving planes line up over or near San Diego on their way in. When SAN is using the east runways, departing planes climb out toward San Diego.
- Montgomery-Gibbs Executive (MYF), 7.1 miles north-northeast: over the past year, whenever there was a breeze, it favored landing toward the west (runways 28L and 28R) 43% of the time and toward the southwest (runway 23) 38%.
- Gillespie Field (SEE), 13.6 miles northeast: over the past year, whenever there was a breeze, it favored landing toward the west (runways 27L and 27R) 64% of the time and toward the east (runways 9L and 9R) 19%.
Estimated from the past year’s hourly winds (Nov 2025 to Oct 2026), counting the hours with at least a light breeze. The wind leads, but controllers also weigh noise rules, traffic and runway work, so the runway in use doesn’t always match.
Is your street under a flight path? Check your exact address →
Who controls the sky over San Diego
These air traffic control facilities keep the planes over San Diego safely apart. Each one has a free thank-you wall.
- SANTowerSan Diego Tower (SAN)Takeoffs and landings at San Diego InternationalThank them →
- MYFTowerMontgomery-Gibbs Tower (MYF)Takeoffs and landings at Montgomery-Gibbs ExecutiveThank them →
- SEETowerGillespie Field Tower (SEE)Takeoffs and landings at Gillespie FieldThank them →
- SDMTowerBrown Field Municipal Tower (SDM)Takeoffs and landings at Brown Field MunicipalThank them →
- SCTApproach controlSouthern California TRACON (SCT)Guides planes climbing out of and coming down into the airports around San DiegoThank them →
- ZLAEn route centerLos Angeles ARTCC (ZLA)Handles flights cruising high over San DiegoThank them →
Why the flight paths over San Diego change
The wind
Airports use the runway that points most into the wind. When the wind swings around, arrivals and departures flip to the other end of the runway, and planes can start crossing a different part of San Diego. That often happens when a front or a line of storms moves through.
Storms
Controllers steer planes around thunderstorms, so on stormy afternoons flights can show up where you normally never see them, sometimes lower and closer together than usual.
Busy times
At busy times, controllers space arrivals a few miles apart and may extend the line of planes farther out, which can stretch the arrival path over more neighborhoods.
Training and small planes
Smaller airports nearby are home to flight schools. Student pilots practice takeoffs, landings and approaches, so you may see the same small plane circle back again and again.
Questions about aircraft noise in San Diego
Aircraft noise is handled by the airport, not by air traffic control. Each airport (usually run by a city, county or airport authority) has its own noise office and wants to hear about specific flights, so note the date and time. The airports near San Diego are:
- San Diego International (SAN)
- Montgomery-Gibbs Executive (MYF)
- Gillespie Field (SEE)
- Brown Field Municipal (SDM)
To find the right noise office, search the airport’s name with the word “noise,” or use the FAA’s airport locator. If the airport can’t help, the FAA’s noise ombudsman can. FAA: Noise complaints and inquiries → · Find your airport’s noise office, and what helps at home →
Nearby towns
🚀 Can you see rocket launches from San Diego? →
Every plane over San Diego is talking to a controller. Say thanks to the people who keep them safely apart.
Common questions
How many planes fly over San Diego a day?
Very few fly right over the center of San Diego. The busiest nearby path, about 1.1 miles northeast of the center, has an aircraft overhead about 70 minutes a day (very roughly 420 flights).
Which way does SAN usually land?
Over the past year, whenever there was a breeze, the wind favored San Diego International landing toward the west (runway 27) 81% of the time and toward the east (runway 9) 19%. Planes take off and land into the wind, so the direction flips when the wind does.
Why are planes flying so low over San Diego?
Planes low over San Diego are usually landing at or taking off from one of the nearby airports, such as San Diego International (SAN), 2 miles away. Air traffic controllers keep every one of them safely separated from the others.
Why are there more planes over San Diego some days?
Mostly because of the wind. Airports take off and land into the wind, so a wind shift can send arrivals or departures over different neighborhoods. Storms and busy travel days can also move or stretch the usual paths.
Which airport are the planes over San Diego going to?
The closest airports with control towers are San Diego International (SAN), Montgomery-Gibbs Executive (MYF), Gillespie Field (SEE), Brown Field Municipal (SDM). Low planes are usually using one of these; higher jets are often passing over on the way somewhere else.
Who do I contact about airplane noise in San Diego?
The noise office of the airport the plane was using, not the control tower. Have the date and time ready. If the airport can't help, the FAA's noise ombudsman takes inquiries through faa.gov/noise.