SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The county Board of Supervisors Wednesday approved a lease that will let United Airlines operate flights out of McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad beginning in March 2026.
On a 4-1 vote, supervisors approved the three-year lease, which also features two options for a one-year extension and a partial, first-year fee waiver of $517,600, according to information on the supervisors' agenda.
United Airlines would fly a 70-seat, Embraer 175 plane twice a day to Denver and San Francisco International airports. The first flight would depart at 7:30 a.m., while the last flight would arrive at 9:50 p.m.
Jamie Abbott, county airports director, said McClellan Palomar Airport has a long history of commercial service. He said United Express previously operated there until 2015.
Opened in 1959, McClellan Palomar Airports supports economic activity in the region, and "we expect these positive impacts to grow with the addition of this lease agreement," Abbott said.
Abbott said the agreement will also "help ensure critical ongoing financial commitment from the (Federal Aviation Administration)," he said. Denver and San Francisco are major United Airlines hubs, "offering passengers from North County convenient, one-stop connections to national and international markets," Abbott said.
The county anticipates $1 million in revenue for each lease year, said Abbott, who added that industry groups are enthusiastic about what the lease will provide, including job creation.
Abbott said the lease agreement won't involve any new significant impacts or warrant mitigation, and there will be a voluntary noise abatement program in connection with the flight operations.
In January, supervisors approved a lease with American Airlines to fly out of the Carlsbad airport starting in February. According CBS8, Citizens for a Friendly Airport on Jan. 24 filed a lawsuit against San Diego County "for violating state environmental laws by granting the major airline to operate four flights in and out of the North County airport."
Following a staff presentation Wednesday, supervisors heard from some Carlsbad residents, most of whom voiced opposition the United deal.
"Do not sign this contract," said Hope Nelson, of Citizens for A Friendly Airport.
With American Airlines now flying out of Carlsbad, she said the county wanted to double-down and was "not fooling anybody." More flights will be the justification to build another runway, which will bring even bigger aircraft, Nelson said.
Dom Betro, of Palomar Airport Action Network, said the Palomar facility should be only for general aviation, not commercial. Further, it was unknown if those using the airport are all North County residents and "could be anyone," he added.
Another member of Citizens for A Friendly Airport said her group will work to ensure the county follows the law.
"We're not going away," she added.
One Carlsbad resident said those against the United lease are outliers who claim to speak for North County. However, the majority "is what we see every day from the real cross-section of North County," the man said, noting tens of thousands use the Palomar airport.
He added that those people weren't at the Wednesday meeting because "they're working, traveling, living their busy lives," and not following every twist and turn of this issue.
A Carlsbad city official said the city was concerned about the county entering into the agreement without an amendment to the airport's conditional use permit with the city.
"The city has offered the opinion that this is reflects poorly on responsible stewardship of the airport, and commitment to community engagement to identify strategies for minimizing negative impacts," said Jason Haber, Carlsbad's intergovernmental affairs director.
Haber said it was better to await the outcome of a pending lawsuit in connection with the airport, and asked the board to delay voting on the lease.
Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer, who voted no, also suggested the board delay any decision on the agreement and let county officials work with the city of Carlsbad on the voluntary noise abatement policy. Lawson-Remer said that while she appreciated United Airlines' good faith efforts, she couldn't support any deal.
She added that Carlsbad residents are already frustrated with American Airlines flying out of the airport, and "we just get hit with this again before we've made any progress on the community's noise concerns."
Her colleague Jim Desmond, a former commercial airline pilot, said the board's assignment was not "to say yes or no to United -- it's yes or no to the ground lease."
Desmond said he understands the residents' concerns about noise, but "we can't restrict anybody from flying in or out of there."
He added that with Palomar only at 30% capacity, the agreement is within the planned growth projections.
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