Palomar Airport

Posted on Jun 02, 2016
 
Olivier Brackett is Airport Manager at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad. Jessica Turner is an Administrative Analyst and is responsible for Customer Relations. The airport was named McClellan-Palomar for Gerald McClellan, a North County community leader. The history goes back to 1957, when the San Diego County picked the Carlsbad site. The airport opened for daytime operations in 1959, with terminal building and expansion to a 4,700 ft. runway within a couple of years. In 1978 the airport was annexed to the City of Carlsbad.
 
Olivier Brackett spent 20 years in the Marine Corps and did air traffic control. He retired in September 2001, and has now spent about 3 years as Manager at Palomar airport.
 
American Eagle Airlines began scheduled service to Los Angeles in 1991 and United Express started Los Angeles Service in 1994. America West began service to Phoenix in 1999. 2009 saw the grand opening of a new 18,000 sq. ft. terminal.
 
McClellan-Palomar Airport is a gateway to and from San Diego’s North County. It serves the general aviation community, corporate aircraft and commercial services. What makes this airport so popular is its proximity to business and recreation. Major corporations and world-class resorts are just minutes from McClellan-Palomar. The airport has many popular business & personal services – air taxi and charter, rental cars and taxi-shuttle services and an excellent restaurant. It is an important part of the local community with its $108 million/year contribution to the local economy.
 
Jessica Turner is responsible for customer relations and community outreach.  She showed some excellent noise-maps for areas around the airport and addressed some of the community concerns. A voluntary noise abatement program is in place.
 
The new 20-year Master Plan will provide a comprehensive approach to strategic planning for the airport’s facilities and services, intended to develop a framework for the future of the airport within the context of local, regional, and national aviation system environments. It identifies and assesses a range of development alternatives for meeting the airport’s forecast, facility, safety, and operational requirements in the next planning period. The focus will be on developing a plan of action that is demand driven, can adjust to the changing dynamics of the surrounding environment, and is reasonable and justifiable.
 
Public involvement is a key component of the process. Public workshops and meetings will be held to discuss the Plan’s findings and recommendations. Ongoing updates on the progress of the Master Plan will be held at regularly scheduled meetings of the Advisory Committee.
 
Websites:
 
 
McClellan-Palomar Airport Master Plan: