Banning Municipal Airport Still On Track To Close Pending Deal

BANNING, CA — Banning Municipal Airport will close down if a project that would potentially free city residents from subsidizing the city-owned facility does not get off the ground. That was the conclusion during Wednesday night's Banning City Council meeting.

During the meeting, a 2017 city resolution to close the airport was not rolled back despite a push by Banning resident Harry Sullivan to reverse course.

"You are not going to close the airport down," Sullivan told council members Wednesday, arguing that the Federal Aviation Administration will not allow it.

Sullivan also said the city is neglecting the airport, which he claimed is a reason why the facility is underutilized.

"It's absolutely pathetic the way it's run," he said.

According to city documents, the airport "lacks the needed infrastructure, amenities or superior location to successfully compete with other airports for more business. The hangars available at Banning Municipal Airport are lacking as compared to other nearby airports."

Banning Municipal Airport hangar occupancy continues to be down and annual flights have declined, according to the city documents.

The resolution to shutter the airport was suspended last year pending a plan to build a $200 million movie studio at the site. Grandave Studios proposes to take over the airport and keep it operational while also making films at the location — without taxpayers footing the bill. City negotiations with Grandave have been ongoing since early last year and the 2017 resolution remains suspended in the hope that a deal can be finalized. Read more about the proposed project here.

Banning residents subsidize the airport to the tune of $150,000 to $200,000 annually, City Manager Doug Schulze said during Wednesday's meeting. He called that bad optics.

"You have a municipal airport that is subsidized by taxpayers in a significantly disadvantaged community — taxpayers that can't afford to use the airport, they can't afford a plane," Schulze said. "They subsidize a very small number of people who can afford to operate aircraft."

It's the argument the city used to convince the FAA to allow the airport to close, Schulze said. The City Manager adamantly disagreed with Sullivan's assessment that the federal agency will not allow the closure.

Safety regulations around the airport have also hindered development in the city, according to Schulze.

With the 2017 resolution in place to shutter the airport, Schulze said the city has a fallback position if the Grandave deal — or some other opportunity — doesn't come through.