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Airport Commission approves 5% airline-rate increase and two-year operating and capital budget
Summary
The Santa Barbara Airport Commission unanimously approved a 5% increase in fiscal 2026 airline rates and charges and adopted a two-year operating and capital budget for FY2026–27 that includes a Southfield Phase 2 parking expansion, terminal improvements and the Taxiway Bravo extension.
The Santa Barbara Airport Commission on May 15, 2025, voted unanimously to approve a 5% increase in airline rates and charges for fiscal 2026 and to adopt a two-year operating and capital budget for fiscal years 2026–27 that funds parking expansion, terminal work and other capital projects.
Airport manager Jonathan Abad told commissioners the 5% increase is a negotiated deviation from the typical cost‑recovery calculation and was chosen “to balance affordability for the airlines and long term funding needs for the airport.” Abad said federal COVID relief funds totaling about $19 million kept rates lower after the pandemic and that those funds will be exhausted in fiscal 2026.
The budget package passed the commission after presentations and discussion of capital priorities and staffing. Abad said the airport is proposing 82 authorized positions, an…
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