San Carlos Airport
The closest general-aviation field to San Francisco, on the Peninsula's bay shore, and too short for jets.
San Carlos Airport is on the bay shore of the mid-Peninsula, the closest general-aviation field to San Francisco proper. It is a compact, single-runway reliever, owned by San Mateo County, and it keeps light traffic off the bigger Bay Area airports. Flight schools and clubs are based here, and so is the Hiller Aviation Museum, whose collection traces Northern California's long aviation history, on the same grounds.
Who flies here
SQL is light aircraft, training, and smaller business turboprops. The runway is short. It is a light-aircraft field, not a jet base. The trade for a Peninsula traveler is a short drive to a small airplane.
FBO and history details were checked mid-2026 against the airport's and operators' own published information. Tenants change, so confirm the departure terminal with your operator.
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