A plan by American Airlines to offer twice-daily passenger service to Phoenix out of Carlsbad’s McClellan-Palomar Airport has sparked local concern about potential health and safety risks.
The airline plans to use 75-passenger E175 regional jets made by Embraer.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday postponed the decision granting American a lease to operate. This move also would allow larger aircraft to fly in and out of McClellan-Palomar, an airport designed to handle smaller planes.
The proposal has led to concerns in the community about health and safety, along with potential violations of approved airport uses.
“The runway is not designed for it [large aircraft], and we feel that it’s a significant health and safety threat to our well being,” said Dom Betro, a community activist with the Palomar Airport Action Network (PAAN).
Attorney Kathryn Pettit, who represents Citizens for a Friendly Airport (C4FA), argues in a Dec. 6 letter that the county is attempting to expand the airport without amending a conditional use permit (CUP), adding environmental safeguards or listening to community input.
According to the letter, the county is attempting to change the airport’s designation without first obtaining the necessary CUP amendment from the city of Carlsbad.
The McClellan-Palomar Airport operates under the CUP, meaning any expansion requires an amendment.
There is a plan to extend the runway 200 feet, which county officials have said would make it safer for aircraft to land.
The CUP requires an amendment for an extension of a runway. The county argues that no amendment is needed based on court rulings that a runway extension doesn’t constitute an expansion.
