The Carlsbad group Citizens for a Friendly Airport has filed a lawsuit against San Diego County over the Board of Supervisors’ approval of the return of American Airlines to McClellan-Palomar Airport.
The group claims a two-year lease the board approved Jan. 8 with American violates the California Environmental Quality Act. The airline began daily flights Feb. 13 between Carlsbad and Phoenix using 76-seat Embraer 175 jets.
Approval of the contract also allows American to exceed a county policy that limits aircraft using the airport to a maximum of 70 seats, states a written announcement released Saturday by the Citizens group.
“We had no choice … we were forced to litigate,” states the announcement, which also requests financial contributions to support the group’s legal efforts.
Attorney Cory J. Briggs filed the lawsuit Jan. 27 in San Diego Superior Court.
Citizens for a Friendly Airport has long fought any expansion of activities at the airport, citing concerns about noise, air pollution and safety hazards created by flights over nearby residential neighborhoods.
The group won a lawsuit filed in 2018 over the county’s approval of an updated master plan for the airport. As a result, the county was required to complete additional noise studies and make other changes to the master plan update, which was approved after the modifications.
The county-owned Carlsbad airport is used primarily by private industrial and recreational aircraft.
In November 2024, the Carlsbad City Council approved amendments to the city’s general plan, zoning, and local coastal program to increase control over any development at the airport.
American Eagle, a regional service of American Airlines, offers the new daily flights. American Eagle previously flew daily between Carlsbad and Los Angeles from 1991 to 1997.
United Express provided regular service between Carlsbad and Los Angeles from 1996 to 2016. United used a 30-passenger turboprop for the flights, which ceased when the company switched to a new fleet of jets that needed a longer runway.
The commercial flights are within the airport’s capacity, require no additional facilities and are allowed under existing permits, county officials have said.
The contract is expected to generate about $607,000 in fees and charges annually from the airline, although the county agreed to waive a little more than $350,000 in fees during the first year as a signing incentive.
The airport opened at its Palomar Airport Road location in 1959, when it was moved from Del Mar to accommodate construction of Interstate 5. Carlsbad annexed the airport and some surrounding property in 1978.
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