Santa Monica : Airport Panel Bans Older Jets

The Santa Monica Airport Commission has unanimously approved an ordinance banning older model jets that consistently violated airport noise limits.

Airport director Henry Dittmar said the ordinance had the approval of national aircraft organizations and there was no community opposition.

The ordinance will ban 17 models of jets, most of them built in the 1960s and ‘70s. Dittmar told the airport commission that those jets violated the airport’s 95-decibel noise limit 100% of the time. He said the older jets also accounted for 60% of the noise complaints from neighbors. The ordinance takes effect immediately.