Banning Municipal Airport | Banning, California
AIR PORT CLOSURE ANNOUNCMENT - May 14, 2024The airport opened in 1945 on roughly 220 acres, but flight operations steadily fell—as much as a 68% drop since 2010. By 2020, it hosted only ~16 based aircraft and around 5,500 annual operations. The city subsidized the airport to the tune of approximately $170,000 per year—money that continued to flow despite the airport being underutilized and obsolete. A 2016 feasibility study concluded the facility lacked updated hangars and amenities, rendering it unable to compete with nearby airports like Redlands, San Bernardino International, and Hemet‑Ryan.
Banning passed a resolution to close the airport in 2017 and reaffirmed it in 2023. But closure required federal approval—something obtained when Congress incorporated language authored by Rep. Raul Ruiz and Sen. Alex Padilla into the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, enabling the city to move forward.
The city is working with the FAA on an orderly closure, including asset appraisals, grant reimbursements (about $1.5 M), tenant relocations, and equipment transfers. In December 2023, Banning entered an exclusive negotiation with Hillwood Development—renowned for airport redevelopments like Rialto and San Bernardino International. Hillwood plans a mix of warehouses, industrial spaces, logistics facilities—and even movie studios. Local interest, such as Grandave Studios, aims to build sound stages on the site, while first industrial partner First Industrial is expected to reserve about 30 acres for film production hubs. City forecasts project that the redevelopment could generate tens of thousands of jobs, add $2 trillion—or possibly up to $6 trillion—in economic impact over the next decade, and bring in roughly $6 million per year in lease revenue.
The Morongo Band of Mission Indians, whose trust lands border the property, enthusiastically support the project. The redevelopment promises mutual economic gain and removes aviation restrictions on their lands.
Banning Municipal Airport had become a fiscal strain—barely used and subsidized heavily by a disadvantaged community. After years of local pushback and a critical federal legislative fix, closure was finally approved in mid-2024. Now, Banning is leveraging ~220 acres for industrial/logistics expansion and entertainment (film studios), overseen by Hillwood, First Industrial, and Grandave Studios—with ambitions for massive job creation, lease income, and a revitalized local economy.
Banning passed a resolution to close the airport in 2017 and reaffirmed it in 2023. But closure required federal approval—something obtained when Congress incorporated language authored by Rep. Raul Ruiz and Sen. Alex Padilla into the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, enabling the city to move forward.
The city is working with the FAA on an orderly closure, including asset appraisals, grant reimbursements (about $1.5 M), tenant relocations, and equipment transfers. In December 2023, Banning entered an exclusive negotiation with Hillwood Development—renowned for airport redevelopments like Rialto and San Bernardino International. Hillwood plans a mix of warehouses, industrial spaces, logistics facilities—and even movie studios. Local interest, such as Grandave Studios, aims to build sound stages on the site, while first industrial partner First Industrial is expected to reserve about 30 acres for film production hubs. City forecasts project that the redevelopment could generate tens of thousands of jobs, add $2 trillion—or possibly up to $6 trillion—in economic impact over the next decade, and bring in roughly $6 million per year in lease revenue.
The Morongo Band of Mission Indians, whose trust lands border the property, enthusiastically support the project. The redevelopment promises mutual economic gain and removes aviation restrictions on their lands.
Banning Municipal Airport had become a fiscal strain—barely used and subsidized heavily by a disadvantaged community. After years of local pushback and a critical federal legislative fix, closure was finally approved in mid-2024. Now, Banning is leveraging ~220 acres for industrial/logistics expansion and entertainment (film studios), overseen by Hillwood, First Industrial, and Grandave Studios—with ambitions for massive job creation, lease income, and a revitalized local economy.