The Santa Monica Airport will close at the end of 2028, marking an end to years of contentious legal battles between the City of Santa Monica and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The agreement, first reported by Santa Monica Next, immediately calls for shortening the airport's runway to 3,500 feet, with the intention of reducing jet traffic and commercial charters.  Following the cessation of operations on December 31, 2028, the 227-acre property will be "returned to the residents of Santa Monica."

Neighboring communities - including those in Los Angeles city boundaries - have long sought the closure of the airport, which has been cast as a nuisance and an environmental hazard.  A nonprofit organization known as Airport 2 Park has actively sought to transform the sprawling site into public green space.

The airport's footprint has shrunk slightly over the past few years, most recently when a 12-acre swath at the southeast corner of the property was removed from operation.  The city is now in the process of folding the lot into the adjacent Airport Park.