Group continues the County of San Diego on commercial flights at Carlsbad airport

The Carlsbad Group Citizens for A Friendly Airport filed a complaint against the County of San Diego against the approval of the Back to the Return of American Airlines at McClellan-Palomar Airport.

The group claims a two -year lease approved by the board of directors of January 8 with American violates the California Environmental Quality Act. The airline began daily flights on February 13 between Carlsbad and Phoenix using jets Embraer 175 of 76 places.

The approval of the contract also allows the American to go beyond a county policy which limits planes using the airport to a maximum of 70 seats, declares a written announcement published on Saturday by Citizens Group.

“We had no choice … We were forced to plead,” said the announcement, which also requires financial contributions to support the group’s legal efforts.

Lawyer Cory J. Briggs filed the trial on January 27 at the San Diego Superior Court.

Citizens for a Friendly Airport has long fought any expansion of activities at the airport, citing concerns about noise, air pollution and safety risks created by flights in nearby residential areas.

The group won a trial brought in 2018 for the county approval of a updated master plan for the airport. Consequently, the county had to make additional noise studies and make other modifications to the update of the master plan, which was approved after the modifications.

Carlsbad airport belonging to the county is used mainly by private industrial and recreational aircraft.

In November 2024, the Carlsbad municipal council approved amendments to the general plan of the city, the zoning and the local coastal program to increase control of any development at the airport.

American Eagle, a regional service of American Airlines, offers new daily flights. American Eagle previously stolen daily between Carlsbad and Los Angeles from 1991 to 1997.

United Express provided a regular service between Carlsbad and Los Angeles from 1996 to 2016. United used a turboprop of 30 passengers for flights, which stopped when the company went to a new fleet of jets that needed a track longer.

Commercial flights are at the capacity of the airport, requires no additional installation and are authorized under existing permits, the county managers said.

The contract should generate about $ 607,000 in costs and costs each year of the airline, although the county has agreed to give up just over $ 350,000 in costs during the first year as an invitation to the signature.

The airport opened its doors to its Palomar Airport Road location in 1959, when Del Mar was moved to accommodate the construction of the Interstate 5. Carlsbad annexed the airport and certain properties surrounding in 1978.

Originally published: February 17, 2025 at 3:04 p.m. PST