SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The master plan for Santa Barbara Airport is not something that comes to mind.
It looks decades into the future.
“We are monitoring climate change and sea level rise and how that will impact our land here and our operations over the next 20 years,” said Santa Barbara Airport spokeswoman Angi Daus.
Airport officials also say they need to improve their infrastructure to accommodate more travelers.
“How people drop off their friends and families at the airport, how traffic flows through airports, how shuttles and Ubers and all of these things flow through an airport … We’re exceeding that passenger number year after year. Last year it was just under 1.3 million and we know we’re going to break the 1.3 million mark this year,” Daus said.
The airport master plan also envisages the implementation of technologically advanced infrastructures for the future, including a so-called vertiport.
“There are these new aircraft that look like drones, take off vertically and are electric. And right now there are several different companies building these aircraft and considering different airports as small hubs,” Daus said.
On Thursday evening, visitors provided feedback on the planning process, explored exhibits and spoke with airport staff and aviation consultants.
Airport officials presented plans to improve fuel storage, remodel the terminal over the long term and build additional aircraft hangars.
An important part of the plan is the Sunflower Program, which aims to help travelers with so-called “invisible disabilities.”
“It could be anxiety, autism or dementia. It could be a physical disability, but you can’t really see it. And so it helps our staff remember to slow down and give the person a little bit more time, space and grace,” Daus said.
“I have a little brother who is autistic, so if there is a place that makes accommodations like this, I feel more comfortable and much safer because he doesn’t have to worry and we can just relax like normal,” said Brandon Vialva, who lives in Santa Barbara.
