Operations were mostly back to normal at San Diego International Friday after a ground stop Wednesday night for nearly three hours led to the lone runway at the airport being shut down.
The collapse of the nose gear on a small jet taking off Wednesday evening forced the ground stop and led to hundreds of incoming flights to be diverted or delayed and departing flights not able to take off.
Airport spokesperson Jonathan Heller said that once the closure went into effect, all inbound flights Wednesday night were diverted to other airports, including Los Angeles and Ontario. Some airlines provided bus service to get their passengers to San Diego, he added.
There was another ground stop for about an hour Thursday afternoon because of all congestion and the weather,
This incident comes just days before the new Terminal 1 opens for operations Monday night.
(Photo Jack Cronin)
Small jet that had a damaged nose gear that forced closure of San Diego International's lone runway Wednesday September 17, 2025.