City of Santa Barbara, CA
01/26/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/26/2026 15:25
2025 Airport Year in Review
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2025 Airport Year in Review
Authored on
January 26, 2026
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Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) experienced another record-breaking year in 2025, with more passengers traveling through the airport than ever before. A total of 1,481,605 commercial passengers used SBA in 2025, representing a 4.4% increase over 2024. Throughout the year, SBA also advanced key initiatives related to air service development, infrastructure improvements, passenger experience, and community engagement.
COMMERCIAL AIR SERVICE
SBA continued to strengthen its commercial air service network with announcements for two routes returning in 2026. United Airlines announced the return of daily nonstop service to Chicago O'Hare International Airport beginning April 6, after previously offering seasonal service in the summers of 2021 and 2022. Nonstop service to San Diego International Airport will also return in 2026, with Alaska Airlines launching daily flights on April 22 and Southwest Airlines beginning service on August 4. Nonstop service to SAN was previously offered by Alaska from June 2021 to September 2022.
In addition to these two destinations, passengers can also expect increased daily flights to San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Portland.
With five airlines, 13 nonstop destinations, and approximately 26 flights daily, SBA is set to offer travelers more convenience and connectivity in 2026 than ever before.
MILESTONES AND PROJECT UPDATES
In addition to air service developments, SBA marked a number of other notable milestones in 2025, including:
- SBA received the 2025 Community Impact Award from the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce.
- A new pedestrian crosswalk was completed, connecting the Terminal to the Metropolitan Transit District bus stop across Moffett Place.
- SBA was recognized as one of America's best small airports, ranking fifth in Newsweek's Readers' Choice Awards and runner-up in USA Today's Readers' Choice Awards.
- A new partnership was launched with the Pacific Pride Foundation.
- SBA established a new Assistant Airport Director position and appointed Sara Iza, AICP, who formerly served as the Airport's Capital Development Manager.
- The first phase of the Climate Adaptation Plan was completed, assessing SBA's susceptibility to future flooding due to climate change.
- Programming continued to support an enhanced passenger experience, including the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program, visits from Therapy Dogs of Santa Barbara, and the second annual Passenger Appreciation Week.
- Progress continued on the Terminal Improvement Project, with conceptual plans currently undergoing the Federal environmental review process.
- Community outreach and education remained a top priority, with events including the fourth annual Plane Pull, the Disability Flight Experience, Girls in Aviation Day, and field trips for local school groups.
- The Noise Working Group continues to work collaboratively in addressing noise concerns from the community and investigating potential solutions.
"2025 was a milestone year for Santa Barbara Airport," said Chris Hastert, Santa Barbara Airport Director. "As we look ahead to 2026, I'm excited to continue working with our Noise Working Group to evaluate newly designed flight approaches that can help reduce overflight impacts and improve the overall noise experience for our neighbors, while maintaining safe and efficient operations for the traveling public."
WINTER STORMS
Winter storms presented challenges to the Airport in late December and early January 2026, leading to three separate closures due to flooding on the airfield. Prior to the recent storms, SBA implemented multiple preventative measures to reduce potential impacts, including installing k-rails and inflatable Tiger Dams along creek banks, staging a 16-inch Gator pump to drain flood waters, and clearing ditches and drainage channels. Despite these efforts, the volume of rainfall and runoff from the nearby creeks proved to be too significant and exceeded capacity, resulting in closures. On each occasion, SBA staff worked around the clock to reopen the airfield as quickly as possible and minimize overall operational impacts. To learn more about the storm impacts, watch the latest Airport Commission Meeting.
Flooding mitigation and prevention continues to be a focus for SBA staff, with projects like the Climate Adaptation Plan addressing future impacts of climate change and exploring protection strategies. Public meetings for phase two of the plan are currently taking place.
Looking ahead to 2026, SBA remains committed to expanding connectivity for the community, maintaining high-quality facilities for passengers, advancing capital improvement projects, and continuing to build partnerships throughout the Tri-Counties.
City of Santa Barbara, CA published this content on January 26, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on January 26, 2026 at 21:26 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]