Salinas Airport Commission forwards 2025 airshow permit to City Council; elects Bennett chair, Bingham vice chair

The Salinas Airport Commission on Thursday voted to forward the 2025 California Airshow permit to the City Council and elected Chandler Bennett as commission chair and David Bingham as vice chair.

The vote to send the airshow permit to the council followed a presentation from the event organizers about performers, logistics and public-access plans. Commissioners also approved a consent agenda that included the June 26 meeting minutes, the operations report and the fuel-flowage report, and heard administrative updates on airport operations, a new flight school and a smaller military exercise this year.

Harry, the airshow representative, told commissioners the Blue Angels will return for the 2025 show and that organizers have designated Saturday, Oct. 4, as Everett Alvarez Day to honor the Salinas native and former naval aviator. "We're bringing back the Blue Angels," Harry said. He said the show will include military and civilian demonstrations and that ticket sales are going well.

Commissioners heard that last year's changes to the crowd line and site layout reduced tenant impacts and made aircraft taxiing easier during setup. Harry said the crowd line was moved to run more parallel to the flight line and farther south, and that last year's layout will be used again with a few minor modifications. He also told commissioners the Blue Angels will land and take off at Salinas thanks to a prior runway extension and that an additional 1,000 feet of runway would likely be needed for the Thunderbirds to land at Salinas.

During the consent vote, Commissioner McGregor moved to accept the consent agenda, and Commissioner Shoemaker seconded the motion. The roll call recorded unanimous "aye" votes from the commissioners present, and the motion carried.

On nominations for commission leadership, Chandler Bennett accepted his nomination for chair and was confirmed by vote. David Bingham was nominated and confirmed as vice chair; the vote recorded one abstention during the vice-chair roll call. The commission discussed timing for the new officers to begin presiding at the August meeting.

Airport staff member Matt reviewed operational metrics and fuel-flowage figures and described the data as tracking well. "The ops report and the fuel flowage numbers are tracking well," Matt said, noting that operations — takeoffs, landings, touch-and-goes and instrument-practice approaches — support the airport's airspace classification. He also said a new flight school will soon occupy space formerly used by Aerodynamic and that the school has three to four training aircraft housed in airport hangars.

Matt briefed commissioners on a planned military logistical exercise that will be smaller this year than previously, with about 38 troops expected compared with roughly 500 in past exercises. He said the exercise will use airport facilities for staging and refueling and that the event is driving fuel sales and operational activity.

Commissioners asked about FAA-funded taxiway rehabilitation projects. Staff said the project is in a holding pattern owing to recent materials-price escalation. Staff plans to perform core sampling to determine the scope of work and whether to proceed in 2025 or defer to save on escalated asphalt costs; the airport would be responsible for a roughly 10% match on the FAA grant, while a separate California Department of Transportation airport program can provide a 5% match but has already been allocated to another project.

The commission approved a motion to forward the recommended airshow permit to the City Council for final approval. The motion carried on a recorded vote. Commissioners closed the meeting after confirming the next meeting date as Aug. 28.