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NBAA
Remains Determined Amidst Unique Decision On
Santa Monica Airport |
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January 28, 2017
– The National Business Aviation Association
(NBAA) issued the following statement today in
response to a settlement reached between the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the
City of Santa Monica, CA that will keep Santa
Monica Municipal Airport (SMO) open until Dec.
31, 2028.
The settlement will provide continued access for
general aviation, including business aviation,
at the airport, and require compliance with
federal obligations, including the provision of
long-term leases to operators and tenants.
That said, the one-of-its-kind development also
allows the city to begin the process of reducing
the length of the airport's sole runway from
4,973 feet to 3,500 feet. |
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“NBAA is still
investigating the precise terms of this
agreement, and we will continue to fight for
unfettered access to Santa Monica Airport,” said
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “We are
dismayed that consideration would be given to
this kind of arrangement, in the process
discriminating against the local entrepreneurs
and businesses that rely on the airfield.
“We are disappointed that the government decided
to settle this case, especially given that NBAA
has long been committed to aggressively
supporting business aviation access to SMO,
through every legislative and legal channel
available. If there are further avenues
available to us, we intend to explore them.”
The reported settlement aims to resolve decades
of legal disputes over the unique situation
facing SMO, which is part of a national,
aviation-transportation network. This includes
numerous, ongoing attempts by city officials to
curtail access by aviation users and other
stakeholders to the airport, in defiance of
established historical precedents dating back to
the original 1948 instrument of transfer
agreement, which returned control of the
historic airfield back to the city, as well as
the city’s federal grant obligations. |
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