City Cleared to Begin Phasing Out Banning Municipal Airport

The non-tower facility is roughly 10 miles west of Palm Springs International Airport and has a 5,000-foot runway.

Mark Phelps

Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at 10:30 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

Banning Municipal Airport is equipped with a single runway designated as Runway 8-26. [Courtesy: City of Banning]

Key Takeaways:

An amendment within the FAA Reauthorization Act has released the city of Banning, California, from its obligation to operate Banning Municipal Airport, clearing the way for its closure.
The city has sought to close the airport since 2017, citing it as a "financial drain" lacking viability and preventing significant economic development and job creation in the region.
The closure, supported by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and Senator Alex Padilla, is intended to unlock economic potential, with developer Hillwood Properties identified to transform the land.
Conditions for closure include repaying the FAA for land and unamortized grant money, redistributing salvageable equipment, and implementing an orderly transition with relocation assistance for current tenants.

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An amendment attached to the recently passed FAA Reauthorization Act releases the city of Banning, California, from its obligation to keep its city-owned airport in operation, opening the door to begin phasing the airport out.

The non-tower facility, roughly 10 miles west of Palm Springs International Airport (KPSP), has a 5,000-foot runway. According to the most recent AirNav data (calculated as of year-end 2023), it is home to 22 single-engine aircraft, two multi-engine aircraft and one helicopter. It averages 105 operations per week—75 percent of which are transient.