SANTA MONICA—Efforts to deconstruct the Santa Monica Airport, and shorten the runway from 4,973 feet to 3,500 feet, will begin on Monday, October 9. The entire process will be done in two phases.
In Phase One, the airport will be shut down overnight from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m., until Christmas.
Phase Two will follow Phase One and include the rest of 2017. In Phase Two, the entire airport will be closed 24 hours a day to reduce the level of noise in the community by 44 percent.
Aviation groups have filed legal objections to the shortening of the runway, and towards the agreement made between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the city of Santa Monica. The FAA tried to fight back the US Court of Appeals in May to dismiss the case. The request was denied.
After the deconstruction is complete, should the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and other parties who are continuing to appeal the shortening, prevail, the city of Santa Monica will be required to build the runway back to its original length. This year marks the 100th year anniversary of the Santa Monica Airport.
