Santa Barbara Airport is currently in the process of updating their Master Plan. The last update was in 2017.
Airport Director Chris Hastert said the airport has fully recovered from the pandemic down-turn and is as busy as ever.
“We had a record year last year with total passengers of just over 1.2 million and that’s the highest that we’ve seen here in Santa Barbara,” he said.
The airport is considered a small hub with four commercial airlines that provide flights primarily for passengers from the local community and tourists to the Central Coast. Smaller planes and private pilots also use the facility.
Hastert said the purpose of the Airport Master Plan is to identify future projects and long-term goals.
“We look at how many aircraft are going to be utilizing the airport and based here, we look at the number of passengers that will be flying in and out of here, we look at the number of operations, meaning a take off or landing, just to make sure the facilities can adequately handle that level of traffic,” he said.
As the number of travelers grows, Hastert said it’s important to consider safety and security issues, as well as ways to improve the passenger experience. A failure to plan ahead, he said, can result in long lines or not enough parking.
When capital improvements are required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) like changes to runway design or taxiing protocol, those projects are usually funded by grants from the FAA, but updates to enhance passenger services depend on the airport’s budget.
“We are an enterprise fund, so we do not take any general fund monies from the city or property taxes or anything like that. It’s all revenues generated here on the airport through rents, fees, landing fees, fuel flowage fees…,” he said.
Hastert and his team are in the early stages, still gathering information for the Master Plan updates. He said the community is invited to participate and can sign up online to stay informed.
“We definitely welcome and want public involvement. Comments are taken seriously, and we will integrate them into how we process the future of the airport,” he said.
You can find out more at FlySBA.com.
