County Considering Runway Extension at McClellan-Palomar Airport

The existing runway at Carlsbad's  was replaced last year at a cost of $7.9 million. Millions more may be spent on extending the 4,897 foot runway.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors directed staff Tuesday to take the first steps in deciding the feasibility of a runway extension. Board Chairman Bill Horn said the airport is the busiest corporate jet center in the United States.

The current runway is too short for heavier business jets like the Gulfstream III, which require more than 5,000 feet to take off according to performance data on the jetadvisors.com website.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman in 2008 called the airport a challenge, in part because of its short runway. A "Regional Airports Strategic Plan'' recently completed by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority calls for the runway to be extended by 1,100 feet. If that happens, however, the runway would extend onto an old landfill, something rarely done, according to the county.

The environmental and engineering challenges of a runway extension will require considerable study before the supervisors can decide whether such a project would be worth funding, and the FAA is also likely to want a thorough analysis, according to a county document.

The airport has undergone $155.6 million in upgrades since 1994, with about one-third of that investment from county government.

United Express flies between McClellan-Palomar Airport and Los Angeles. plans to start service to five cities as soon as early 2012.

The supervisors requested, as part of the board's consent agenda, that staff return within 90 days with a scope, cost and timeline for conducting a feasibility study.

CNS contributed to this report.