Hastert chosen to lead Santa Barbara Airport

Chris Hastert, the new airport director for the City of Santa Barbara, has outlined his goals and plans for the Santa Barbara Airport in an interview with Noozhawk. 

Hastert discussed a range of issues, including commercial air traffic, noise, facilities expansion, the master plan, and historic structures. He aims to establish and improve relations with the cities of Goleta and Santa Barbara and all residents affected by airport operations. 

Hastert plans to expand the passenger terminal to the south and add new gates and jetways, based on meeting current and future demand. The airport experienced a record commercial air traffic of more than 1.2 million passengers in 2022, but he does not expect that level of growth to continue in the short run. 

Noise from airport operations is a persistent issue, and Hastert is working to analyze the most frequently used departures and the routing of flights to encourage airlines to take different routing for those early morning departures. Source: Noozhawk