Carlsbad Council Member Kevin Shin is pressing San Diego County and the Transportation Security Administration for answers about security weaknesses at McClellan-Palomar Airport.
Shin raised the issue at the Carlsbad City Council meeting on Friday, Sept. 11, saying a recent TSA response to U.S. Rep. Mike Levin confirmed "several findings" from a March 2025 security report on the county-owned airport, the North County Daily Star reported. The TSA identified problems with access control and preventing unauthorized entry, according to Shin.
The specifics remain hidden from the public. The TSA classified the operational details of the incidents, airport vulnerabilities, inspections and corrective actions under Sensitive Security Information (SSI), a federal designation that restricts disclosure.
Shin represents District 2, where the airport sits at 2192 Palomar Airport Road. The Carlsbad City Council has not taken a formal position on Shin's push.
He is acting individually.
The security concerns come as passenger traffic at McClellan-Palomar has surged. Annual enplanements jumped from 15,662 in 2024 to 67,601 in 2025, according to San Diego County. The total is projected to exceed 80,000 this year. American Airlines resumed commercial service at the airport in February 2025 after a long absence, and United Airlines has also returned.
Shin, a retired fire captain with 20 years of experience, has pressed the county on airport safety before. In July, he and firefighter associations from Carlsbad, Vista, San Marcos, Solana Beach and Ontario sent letters to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors asking for a review of emergency services at the airport.
In a July 13 letter to county supervisors, Shin wrote that the airport's private emergency contractor does not regularly take part in joint training, continuity planning or day-to-day coordination with local and regional fire agencies, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The airport falls within the Carlsbad Fire Department's jurisdiction even though San Diego County owns the facility.
No on-record response from the TSA, San Diego County or Rep. Levin's office regarding Shin's Sept. 11 remarks has been reported. The March 2025 TSA report is not publicly available because of its SSI classification.
