The airport was built by the United States Army during World War II, known as Santa Maria Army Air Field.[3] Its primary mission was to provide training for B-25 bomber pilots, however flight training was abandoned by December 1942. The field fell into a state of disuse until the arrival of the Lockheed P-38 twin engine fighter in September 1943.
During its use by the military Santa Maria AAF also controlled Estrella Army Airfield, near Paso Robles as an auxiliary airfield to support the pilot training activity.
After the war Santa Barbara County and the city of Santa Maria acquired the land and facilities through two grants in 1948. In 1964 the Army Air Field was renamed Santa Maria Public Airport.
In 2020, the airport was again used for training by a fleet of military jets while Naval Air Station Point Mugu was performing maintenance on its airfield. The fleet consisted of six 1960 Hawker Hunters multi-role fighters and two 1970 IAI Kfir interceptors.[5]
The first airline at Santa Maria was Pacific Seaboard Air Lines. In 1933 Pacific Seaboard scheduled two daily Bellanca CH-300s Los Angeles - Santa Barbara - Santa Maria - San Luis Obispo - Paso Robles - Monterey - Salinas - San Jose - San Francisco.[7] After receiving a mail contract, Pacific Seaboard moved its entire operation to the eastern U.S. in 1934, be renamed Chicago and Southern Air Lines, and in 1953 was acquired by and merged into Delta Air Lines.[8]Southwest AirwaysDouglas DC-3s began service during the 1940s. The June 1, 1947 timetable lists three daily round trips Los Angeles-Oxnard-Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Luis Obispo-Coalinga-Monterey-Santa Cruz/Watsonville-San Jose/Moffett Field-San Francisco.[9] Southwest changed its name to Pacific Air Lines and operated Martin 4-0-4s and Fairchild F-27s to Santa Maria in the 1960s. Pacific merged with Bonanza Air Lines and West Coast Airlines to form Air West in 1968, which became Hughes Airwest in 1970. Hughes Airwest then served Santa Maria with McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s and Fairchild F-27s.[10] In 1974 and 1975 Hughes Airwest operated McDonnell Douglas DC-9 Series 30 jets to Los Angeles and San Francisco.[11] This was the only time Santa Maria had nonstop mainline jets to LAX and SFO at the same time. DC-9 jet flights ended in 1976 and Hughes Airwest F-27 flights to Santa Maria ended in 1979.
A number of commuter airlines served the airport. In 1968 Cable Commuter Airlines was flying de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters to LAX.[12] Cable Commuter was later merged into Golden West Airlines but service to Santa Maria ended in the early 1970s. Golden West briefly returned to the airport in 1982 using Short 330 aircraft. Santa Barbara-based Apollo Airways (which later changed its name to Pacific Coast Airlines) flying Handley Page HP.137 Jetstreams served Santa Maria during the latter 1970's.
SkyWest Airlines began flights to Santa Maria in 1985 when it acquired Sun Aire Lines which had begun serving the airport in 1982. In 1986 SkyWest began a code sharing agreement with Western Airlines and began flying as Western Express. One year later Western Airlines merged into Delta Air Lines and SkyWest's flights then began operating as Delta Connection. The carrier flew Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners and Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias, mainly to Los Angeles.[14] In 1997 SkyWest changed its service from operating as Delta Connection to operate as United Express on behalf of United Airlines (replacing Mesa Airlines) still with service nonstop to Los Angeles using Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias. Flights to LAX were discontinued in 2015 in favor of nonstop flights to SFO using Canadair regional jets; however, SkyWest operating as United Express ceased all operations at Santa Maria on October 5, 2016.[15]
During the peak of its airline service from 1986 through 1996, Santa Maria saw service by American Eagle, Delta Connection, and United Express simultaneously and all three air carriers were operating a combined total of up to 22 flights per day to Los Angeles plus several flights to San Francisco with turboprop commuter aircraft. From 1997 until 2006 United Express was the only carrier at Santa Maria. Since United Express left Santa Maria in 2016, the city has had no service by an IATA carrier.[17]
Current airline service
Allegiant Air began serving Santa Maria in 2006. The carrier currently flies Airbus A319 and Airbus A320 mainline jets nonstop to Las Vegas twice a week each way. Allegiant Air previously operated nonstop service to Phoenix via the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and Portland, OR. On November 17, 2012, Allegiant Air briefly operated Boeing 757-200 mainline jets from Santa Maria nonstop to Honolulu once a week until August 14, 2013.
[18] Allegiant also previously operated McDonnell Douglas MD-80 mainline jets on its nonstop flights to Las Vegas and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.
United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines was planning to resume service on September 30, 2021, with a single daily flight to Denver as well as a single daily flight to San Francisco. Both flights were planned to be operated with Bombardier CRJ100/200 regional jets. The service was scheduled to begin on June 4, 2020, but has been postponed several times.
Facilities
The airport covers 2,516 acres (1,018 ha) and has two asphalt runways: 12/30, 8,004 x 150 ft (2,439 x 46 m) and 2/20, 5,189 x 75 ft (1,582 x 23 m).[1]
In 2007 the airport had 62,480 aircraft operations, average 171 per day: 79% general aviation, 19% air taxi, 2% military and <1% airline. 243 aircraft are based at the airport: 83% single-engine, 7% multi-engine, 6% helicopter, 3% jet, <1% glider and <1% ultralight.
A new baggage claim facility opened in 2007. It was one of the first airports on the Central Coast to use a state of the art baggage carousel, on a small scale.
A new terminal holding room opened in February 2008. The old area had room for 30 passengers. Designed for the Allegiant Air flights, the new holding room accommodates 200 passengers and has room for a cafe.
A runway extension was completed on May 3, 2012, from 6,304 ft. to 8,004 ft.[19] The extended runway at Santa Maria[19] gives the airport the longest civil runway between Los Angeles and San Jose[20] on the central coast (Bakersfield's primary runway at Meadows Field in the Central Valley (10855 x 150 ft.) and Vandenberg AFB's runway (15000 x 200 ft.) are longer).
RLC - "Above And Beyond" uses a fleet of Sikorsky S-76 helicopters to transport oil rig workers to Platform Irene, Platform Hidalgo, Platform Harvest and Platform Hermosa from its operating base next to Central Coast Jet Center in Santa Maria.
The airport is located south of Santa Maria along Skyway Drive at Terminal Drive. Both US 101 and State Route 135 (Broadway) can be reached from the airport by heading north on Skyway Drive and then turning east onto Betteravia Road. Short and long-term parking is available, but passenger vehicles left more than 14 days must obtain prior approval by the Airport Administration.[29]
The airport is served by Santa Maria Area Transit routes 4 and the Breeze, the Santa Maria Cab Company, Lyft, Uber, and other local services.[30]
Allan Hancock Field
The original Allan Hancock Field was established in 1927 at another location, between Jones Street to the north, Stowell Road to the south, Bradley Road to the east and Miller Street to the west. The airport housed the Allan Hancock College of Aeronautics operated by the Hancock Foundation of Aeronautics. Before World War II, it was one of eight civil training military aviation cadets.[31] After the war the field was used by the University of Southern California for their four-year Aeronautics Degree program. In 1958 a bond was passed allowing Santa Maria Junior College to purchase the land, much of which would become the campus of what is now known as Allan Hancock College.[32] The name of the original Santa Maria Airport and Hancock's name then transferred to the other, now public airport in town.
^https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/, "Santa Maria airport air tanker base to expand with permanent facility", Aug. 12, 2020 & news article updated Jan. 29, 2021
