At the June 30 meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Department of Public Works aviation division chief, Jason Morgan, discussed a proposed $5 million FAA-funded runway and taxiway pavement project at Whiteman Airport.
During the presentation, Morgan told Supervisor Lindsay Horvath that accepting the FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant “would only commit the airport to remaining open for three years.”
To remaining open for three years? That statement raised questions about what, if anything, the proposed grant would mean for Whiteman Airport’s long term future.
To get the answer directly from the source, the Whiteman Airport Coalition contacted the Federal Aviation Administration for clarification.
What We Know
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The FAA confirmed that the county has submitted a request for funding for a pavement slurry seal project.
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The FAA confirmed that Los Angeles County has not yet been awarded a Fiscal Year 2026 Airport Improvement Program grant for Whiteman Airport.
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But if approved, it would carry a three year grant assurance obligation because of the project’s minimal useful life.
More importantly, the FAA clarified:
“If awarded, the proposed grant will not impact WHP’s existing grant assurance obligations.”
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In other words, this three year grant, according to the FAA, would not change, shorten, or eliminate Whiteman Airport’s existing federal grant assurance obligations that date back to 1998.
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Those existing obligations remain in place regardless of whether this particular grant is awarded.
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Those obligations require the County to continue operating the airport as a public use airport and give the FAA authority to review and approve any proposal to close or repurpose the property.
Taxpayer-Funded Study Continues
Even as Whiteman Airport remains subject to existing federal obligations, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has expanded its taxpayer-funded study to $2.1 million to evaluate the airport’s potential closure and alternative uses for the property, despite broad community support to preserve, improve, and modernize the airport.
That community support continues to grow. In a recent feature, the national advocacy group, AOPA, highlighted the Whiteman Airport Coalition and the Community Aviation Family Festival as an example of how grassroots outreach is changing minds, connecting people to aviation, and building support for the airport’s future.
