The FAA has thrown in the towel in the fight for Santa Monica Airport, striking a compromise deal with local officials that will permit the city to shorten the runway from about 5,000 feet to 3,500 feet within a year and close the airport forever at the end of 2028.
Bowing to City Pressure, FAA Agrees to Close Santa Monica Airport
Key Takeaways:
- The FAA and Santa Monica city officials reached a compromise deal allowing the city to shorten the Santa Monica Airport runway within a year, limiting large business jet access, and to close the airport permanently by the end of 2028.
- This resolution was brokered to avoid potentially damaging legal precedents for both sides, with the FAA aiming to prevent immediate airport closures nationwide.
- Aviation advocacy groups, including the NBAA, have expressed strong disappointment and plan to continue fighting for unfettered access to Santa Monica Airport.
- Despite a local news report claiming the Trump administration was unaware of the deal and would seek to reverse it, the FAA denies these assertions, and the reporter admitted his story was "conjecture."
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