Also Warns Against Evicting Two FBOs On The Airport

The FAA will be taking a very close look at what is described as a "starvation strategy" on the part of the City of Santa Monica as the city works to close KSMO in two years.

FAA officials said in a letter to the city that they would be scrutinizing the city's leasing policy at the airport that would sharply curtail jet fuel sales at KSMO while a petition to close the airport proceeds through federal courts, according to a report appearing in the Los Angeles Times. "These actions may be causing, and appear intended to cause, impairment of the airport, including, but not limited to, a ‘de facto’ closure of the airport in violation of applicable law,” the agency said in its notification to the city, which has 10 days to respond to a federal subpoena for information and documents related to the matter.

The agency also said that the city should stop eviction proceedings against Atlantic Aviation and American Flyers, two FBOs on the airport, saying “The FAA strongly recommends that the city withdraw the notices to vacate until such a time as this matter can be resolved.”

Santa Monica Mayor Tony Vazquez called the FAA's actions an "overreach." He said the FAA is "clearly on a fishing expedition to protect Washington special interests who fear losing corporate profits.”

Dan Hopkins, vice president of the Santa Monica Airport Association, told the paper that his group welcomes the FAA's probe into the city's management of the airport.

The city wants to replace the fuel concession with a city-run operation that would carry only unleaded aviation gas and biofuel rather than 100LL and standard jet fuel. The FAA holds that such actions could possibly violate multiple federal agreements that state the airport must remain open and available to the public "on reasonable terms" without "unjust discrimination" to all aircraft types and legitimate aeronautical activities.

(Images from file)

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.smgov.net