BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — As Kern County continues to experience rapid growth, a new bill is pushing for increased investment in Meadows Field Airport to boost commercial air travel and meet rising demand.
- To help support this expansion, State Sen. Melissa Hurtado has introduced Senate Bill 661, known as the Airport Expansion and Regional Optimization Act. The legislation proposes redirecting revenue from the state’s sales tax on jet fuel from the general fund to the state's aeronautics account, earmarking it for aviation-related investments.
- Michael Musca, interim director of Meadows Field, said that funding could go towards marketing to airlines, marketing to our local communities to encourage them to travel from Meadows Field.
As Kern County continues to experience rapid growth, a new bill is pushing for increased investment in Meadows Field Airport to boost commercial air travel and meet rising demand.
“There’s an old saying that if you aren’t improving the airport, then you’re just going backwards,” said Michael Musca, interim director of Meadows Field. He said the airport has been steadily rebounding since the COVID-19 pandemic and added that recent population and economic growth in Bakersfield underscores the need for more commercial flight options.
To help support this expansion, State Sen. Melissa Hurtado has introduced Senate Bill 661, known as the Airport Expansion and Regional Optimization Act. The legislation proposes redirecting revenue from the state’s sales tax on jet fuel from the general fund to the state's aeronautics account, earmarking it for aviation-related investments.
“What we can do with it is marketing—marketing to airlines, marketing to our local communities to encourage them to travel from Meadows Field,” Musca said. “We can use that to provide incentives to airlines to reduce their labor costs, just incentivize airlines altogether.”
Hurtado pointed to significant local developments, including a new casino set to open soon in Bakersfield, as further justification for expanding the airport’s capacity.
“The capacity is there. The people are here,” she said. “I think there's a lot of potential happening here in Bakersfield. We're growing. There's no reason why we shouldn't make this push."
Musca noted that Meadows Field added new routes last September to San Francisco, Denver, Dallas, and Phoenix. However, he said long-term growth depends on demonstrating sustained demand to commercial carriers.
“It’s really a marriage proposal between us and the airlines,” Musca said. "It's up to us to prove to the airlines that there is the demand for for the flights to certain cities, and then the airlines have to weigh that against their cost, the cost of labor, the pilots that they have available, the aircraft that they have available.”
Musca acknowledged the current challenges facing the airline industry, including higher labor costs and a trend toward consolidation, but emphasized that now is a critical time to make the case for Bakersfield as a growing air travel hub.
If passed, SB 661 could unlock significant investment for Meadows Field and serve as a model for improving air access in other rural and mid-sized communities across California.
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