Santa Monica Airport might stay open after all

Ed Bolen, Santa Monica Airport (NBAA/Mcclave, Flickr)
Ed Bolen, Santa Monica Airport (NBAA/Mcclave, Flickr)

The planes at Santa Monica Airport won’t be flying away for good just yet.

A collection of aviation trade groups and airport tenants asked a federal court to review last month’s agreement between Santa Monica and the Federal Aviation Administration to close the disputed airport at the end of 2028, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The National Business Aviation Association, Santa Monica Airport Association and four airport tenants requested a hearing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to try and keep the airport open.

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Ed Bolen, CEO of the NBAA, told the L.A. Times the airport “serves as a critical transportation lifeline for the entire Los Angeles Basin.”

The Santa Monica City Council and the FAA had seemingly ended a decades-long battle two weeks ago, when they agreed to close airport at the end of 2028 and immediately shorten the runway to 3,500 feet from 4,973. The agreement also settled all litigation between the city and FAA, according to the Times. [LAT] — Subrina Hudson