When a charter company named JetSuiteX cooked up plans to "Uber-ize" aeronautics, offering low-cost seats on private jets flying out of Santa Monica Airport starting next week, little did they expect to cause the airport to close.
But after hearing of JetSuiteX's plan, the City went back to the Federal Aviation Administration and, after decades of struggle, reached an agreement to shut down the almost century old airport in 2028, and to shorten the runway that enables jet flights, right now.
DnA spoke to elected officials, city staff and local activists who've fought for years to replace the drone of overhead airplanes with birdsong. We asked how the deal was made, and what comes next for the 227 acres of land.
Douglas R4D-3 ‘N242SM' 'Spirit of Santa Monica' at the
Santa Monica Museum of Flying at Santa Monica Airport
Photo by Alan Wilson