A temporary restraining order that had Santa Monica Airport supporters jumping for joy last week turned out to be short lived. The City of Santa Monica plans to start the process of shortening runway 3-21 on October 23 after Senior U.S. District Judge Ronald S. Lew denied a preliminary injunction and dissolved a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the process of reducing the runway length from nearly 5,000 to 3,500 feet.
Santa Monica’s Runway Shortening to Proceed
Key Takeaways:
- The City of Santa Monica will proceed with shortening Santa Monica Airport's runway 3-21 from nearly 5,000 to 3,500 feet, starting October 23, after a preliminary injunction was denied and a temporary restraining order dissolved.
- The project involves two phases: initial nightly closures with the full runway available, followed by a 10-day complete airport shutdown, after which the runway will be permanently shortened.
- Aviation organizations and local businesses strongly oppose the runway reduction, citing negative impacts, and are continuing legal efforts to challenge the FAA consent decree that allows the city to shorten the runway and ultimately close the airport in 2028.
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