The Santa Barbara Airport started a “phased reopening” at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday after a storm-related closure this week.
Heavy rainfall Sunday and Monday caused major flooding at the airport and an all-day closure impacting commercial and private flights.
The terminal and parking lots reopened Tuesday morning.
“The airfield and surrounding areas experienced a significant amount of flooding, but we’re happy to report there was no major damage,” officials said. “Thank you for your patience as our crews worked through the night to clean up the area as fast as possible, and thank you for flying with SBA!”
As of Monday evening, the airport staff were still unsure when they would be able to resume operations, Angi Daus, airport marketing supervisor, told Noozhawk.
The airport experienced significant flooding and crews were unable to fully access and assess the fully impacted areas due to the amount of water on the airfield, Daus told Noozhawk at the time.
Throughout the day Monday, the airport was still receiving storm runoff onto the airfield. Crews could pump some of the water off the runways, which they have done during past incidents, but it is unsafe to do so until the water begins to recede.
Crews have been working on the airfield since the start of the storm, Daus said, and are keeping a close eye on the situation so that they can begin cleanup as soon as it’s safe to do so.
Once the water cleared, crews had to clean up any debris and mud left behind, so until the water begins to recede they won’t know the extent of the damage caused by flooding.
This is the second time this month the airport had to shut down operations due to flooding. The airport closed on Feb. 4, and was able to reopen at 1 p.m. the following day.
Passengers can stay updated on the closure by checking the airport’s website and social media pages.
Passengers also are encouraged to check directly with their airlines about rescheduling flights.
