San Diego Opens New Terminal 1 With SITA Biometric Systems

San Diego International Airport has officially opened its new Terminal 1, unveiling a passenger flow designed around SITA’s common-use and biometric technologies. The launch brings new curb-to-gate features including CUPPS across counters and gates, 66 TS6 self-service kiosks, biometric face pods at boarding, and SITA Airport Vision for flight information and live wait-time displays. The first phase of the facility introduces 19 gates, with a planned expansion to 30 by early 2028.

Passenger Processing And Real-Time Signage

Airport officials describe the building as designed to accelerate passenger movement and reduce hand-offs. Dynamic signage directs travelers to the correct airline in real time and enables the airport to reassign counters as demand fluctuates. Biometric boarding at selected gates is aimed at reducing congestion at departure points.

Local reports estimate the terminal’s budget at between 3 and 3.8 billion dollars and project that about 10 million passengers will pass through in its first year. The transition included staged switchover operations, with some flights using the new gates the evening before the official opening. Demolition of the old Terminal 1 is ongoing as construction of phase two continues toward 2028.

Biometrics And Common-Use Trends

The deployment of biometric boarding at San Diego aligns with the wider adoption of CBP’s Traveler Verification Service, part of a nationwide shift toward exit checks. ID Tech has covered the regulatory backdrop in White House clears rule for nationwide CBP biometric exit program and recent rollouts at Omaha and San Jose Airports and at Denver International.

SITA’s presence at San Diego reflects its broader strategy of embedding biometrics into airport infrastructure. Comparable projects include Taipei Songshan Airport’s adoption of SITA kiosks, highlighting a global trend of common-use kiosks, face-based boarding, and dynamic airport signage. For the San Diego region, the new terminal is also a capacity project, adding new security lanes, retail and art spaces, with phase two to add 11 gates and complete airfield and roadway improvements.

Sources: SITA, Airport Industry-News, ABC 10 News San Diego, New T1, Gensler

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By the ID Tech Editorial Team