Hazmat spill temporarily delayed San Diego airport flights

Roxana Popescu, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Nov 28, 2025

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SAN DIEGO — Air traffic at the San Diego International Airport was temporarily delayed Friday because of a hazmat spill that has been cleaned up.

Airport operations were back to normal by mid-afternoon, said airport spokesperson Nicole Hall.

Some news outlets had noted delays of up to 50 minutes, citing figures from the Federal Aviation Administration, though Hall said the delays were shorter. By mid-afternoon, the FAA’s website showed the delays had diminished.

“Traffic is experiencing gate hold and taxi delays lasting 15 minutes or less,” the FAA website said, close to 3 p.m. “Arrival traffic is experiencing airborne delays of 15 minutes or less.”

Storms in other parts of the U.S. have created holiday travel setbacks, with snow forecast for parts of the northeast on Friday. Areas of the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest including Chicago and Detroit, and along the East Coast are all expected to be hit by rain and snow, between Friday and Sunday, ABC News reported.

During the busy holiday travel season, Hall said the airport encourages people to arrive for departing flights with plenty of time to spare.

“We still encourage people to plan ahead, check your flight status and arrive early,” Hall added.