After years of complaints from South County residents, Santa Barbara Airport officials are working on new flight paths in an attempt to reduce plane noise.
Many of the planes are currently using predetermined routes approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to Airport Director Chris Hastert.
Although the airport does have recommended routes, airports cannot order pilots to take a specific path.
The current paths don’t “align with our preferred routing for lessening the noise impact on the community,” Hastert explained.
The airport’s Noise Working Group — a collaborative effort between airline pilots, South County residents and staff with the City of Goleta, the airport and Southwest Airlines — is tackling this issue.
The group is working with a consultant who has an agreement with the FAA to examine and develop routes. That person will develop new paths that could lessen the planes’ impact on residents.
The plans will have to be approved by the FAA before being added to the new routes available to pilots landing in Santa Barbara.
The new routes would likely have Santa Barbara Airport-bound planes spend more time flying over the ocean before turning into the airport, according to Hastert. The change will mean the planes will spend less time flying over residential areas and disturbing residents.
“You can’t avoid (noise) altogether, but (you can) make improvements to fly over less,” Hastert said.
The airport is in the initial stages of the route study. The consultant is currently working with the FAA to learn more about the airspace.
Noise can be a complex issue, Hastert said.
Even though the airport services smaller jets and private planes, the main noise complaints center around airline jets, particularly those that leave early in the day.
“Our biggest concern about noise really has to do with our early morning departures,” Hastert said. “Because, as the airlines have adjusted their schedules across the country, the West Coast airports now are leaving earlier than they traditionally had.”
In the past, the airport may have had morning departures at 6:30 a.m. Now, planes can leave as early as 5:15 a.m., according to Hastert.
Despite adding more trips over the past year, the airport is not seeing a higher number of flights this year compared to previous ones.
FAA records show that the airport is seeing more activity since a decline in flights in 2020, but this activity is not outside the airport’s normal range.
The airport recorded 106,702 flight operations in 2019, compared to 105,001 flight operations in 2025.
Hastert said the airport is also planning to examine routes for departing planes to find better flight paths.
Open houses will be held to keep the public informed on any new changes and allow for feedback.
If those go well, Hastert said the airport can move forward with submitting the new plans to the FAA for approval.
