The Santa Monica City Council is set on eliminating the historic Santa Monica Airport, voting for its closure on Tuesday night. This is not the first time the Council has voted to close the airport and it is strictly a symbolic vote. The airport is legally protected for now, but the city continues to spend copious amounts of taxpayer’s money in its attempt to find a legal loophole to achieve its mission. The Council’s target for the closure now is 2018 despite the fact that, as late as last week, the FAA reaffirmed the requirement of the city to operate the airport at least until 2023 through a Part 16 complaint filed by a long list of airport tenants and supporters, including NBAA and AOPA.
Santa Monica City Council Votes to Close SMO
Key Takeaways:
- The Santa Monica City Council is determined to close the historic Santa Monica Airport by 2018, despite the FAA reaffirming the city's requirement to operate it until at least 2023.
- The city is actively working to diminish airport operations by spending taxpayer money on legal efforts, encroaching on airport land for non-aviation uses, and forcing tenants to close.
- Recent measures include the city taking over FBO services to reduce them and implementing inconvenient security, which critics argue is an access restriction in disguise.
- Future plans involve repurposing a western parcel of the airport and shortening the runway by 2,000 feet, which would severely limit the airport's utility and requires FAA permission.
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