January
28, 2017 - Back in August 2016, Santa Monica
city council passed a resolution to close the
city’s Santa Monica Airport by 2018. The counsel
also adopted a plan that would discourage
aviation use by shortening a 5,000 foot runway
to 2,000 feet. It would establishing a city-run
operator to fuel planes, provide maintenance,
and handle other services. A service that was
held by the private sector.
However,
prior to the city’s counsel vote, the Federal
Aviation Administration upheld a previous ruling
that barred the city from shutting down the
airport from and that the airport would remain
open until 2023.
The
action for closing the airport stems from local
residents complaining about airplane noise and
pollution from the airport dating back as far as
1976 when a group of neighbors sued the city
over noise. Residents feel the airport does not
serve their needs and only serves “exclusive
clientele”.
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