The City of Santa Monica has once again made it clear: The Santa Monica Airport will close permanently on December 31, 2028.
In a press release issued September 26, the City emphasized that nothing—whether lease renewals or new proposals—will change this timeline. Even if JSX Air or any other operator comes to Santa Monica in the interim, they will need to leave by the end of 2028.
“Santa Monica Airport will close at the end of 2028, and nothing about this process with JSX Air changes that fact.”
CIty Manager OliveR chi
In 2017, the City and the Federal Aviation Administration reached an agreement, the “Consent Decree” [PDF, 8mb], allowing the City to close the airport permanently after December 31, 2028. The City Council then voted to close the airport when it unanimously adopted Resolution 11026 [PDF, 66kb]. In January 2025, the City Attorney’s office issued a memo ]PDF, 375kb] that clearly stated “the decision to close the Airport effective midnight on December 31, 2028, was already made [in 2017], and no further Council action is required to authorize closure of the Airport.”
This latest statement is important because it not only reiterates the City’s legal and political commitment to closure, but also ties that closure directly to the future of the Great Park. The City noted that, “In the meantime, the City remains focused on minimizing community impacts from airport operations and preparing for the transition to new community-serving park uses after 2028.” (emphasis added)
For the Great Park Coalition and the broader community, this is a welcome reaffirmation: The path toward reclaiming 192 acres of open space for parkland and community benefit remains firmly in place.
