Santa Barbara Airport Master Plan flies into Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara Airport Master Plan is not something you come up with on the fly.

It’s looking decades into the future.

“We're looking at climate change and sea level rise and how that impacts our the land here and our operations in the next 20 years,” said Santa Barbara Airport Spokeswoman Angi Daus.

Airport officials also say they need to upgrade their infrastructure to handle more travelers.

“How people drop off their friends and families at airports, how traffic moves through airports, how shuttles and Ubers and all of that sorts of things move through an airport…We continue year after year to break that passenger number. Last year, we were just under 1.3 million and we know this year will break 1.3 million,” said Daus.

The Airport Master Plan is also considering implementing technologically advanced infrastructure way into the future, including what's known as a vertiport.

“There is these new airplanes that are drone-like airplanes that take up take-off of vertically and they're electric. And right now there's several different corporations that are making these airplanes and looking at different airports to be little hubs,” said Daus.

Thursday evening visitors provided feedback on the planning process, explored exhibits, and talked to airport staff and aviation consultants.

Airport staff presented plans for fuel storage improvements, long-term terminal reconfiguration, and additional aircraft hangers.

A major part of the plan is the Sunflower program, which is designed to help travelers with so-called “invisible disabilities.”

“That could be anxiety, autism, dementia. It could be a physical disability, but you just can't quite see it. And so really what it's doing is it's allowing our staff to just remember to slow down, allow that person a little bit more time and space and grace,” said Daus.

“I have a baby brother who has autism. So whenever there is any place in general is is doing accommodations like that, it makes me feel more comfortable, a lot safer that he doesn't have to worry about and we could just chill like normal,” said Brandon Vialva, who lives in Santa Barbara.

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