Santa Barbara Municipal (KSBA), California
Landing essentials
Whether you can land, whether you can refuel, and how customs works here.
Overview
Santa Barbara Municipal (KSBA) is a towered, public-use airport on the California coast about 7 nautical miles from the Santa Barbara metro area, handling just over 46,000 annual operations with business aviation accounting for roughly 20,650 of that total according to FAA TFMSC data for 2025. The field offers a primary 6,052-foot runway alongside two shorter parallel strips, both 100LL and Jet A fuel, and attendance from 0600 to 2300 local daily. Operators should note that KSBA has no customs facilities on-site, with the nearest customs-equipped airport, KVNY, roughly 68 nautical miles away.
Runways
Santa Barbara Municipal has three paved runways. The longest, 07/25, is 6,052 ft long and 150 ft wide, with an asphalt surface.
Runway geometry from published threshold coordinates. Not for navigation.
Runways are listed longest first.
Source: FAA Form 5010.
Fuel and airfield services
Santa Barbara Municipal has Jet A and 100LL available on the field. Fueling is available from 6am to 11pm, daily, and the airport has an operating control tower.
Source: FAA Form 5010 / NASR.
Customs
Santa Barbara Municipal does not clear customs. The nearest port of entry is Van Nuys (KVNY), 68 NM away.
Source: CBP list of ports of entry.
Business aviation traffic
Santa Barbara Municipal recorded 20,651 business aviation movements in 2025. Traffic peaks in May, August and October. Business aviation traffic at KSBA is concentrated in the late spring and fall months, with May and October showing the highest monthly operation counts of the year according to FAA TFMSC data.
Business jet movements, FAA TFMSC count. Peak month May, 1,939 movements in 2025.
Source: FAA TFMSC, business jet movements, 2025.
Climate
Santa Barbara Municipal averages 1.2 days above 90°F in October and 2.6 freeze days in December. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 74.5°F, and February the coldest, at 63.8°F.
Weather station is on the field. Some values are estimated by the agency. 1991–2020 climate normals.
Source: NOAA NCEI.
Operating constraints
Santa Barbara Municipal has published operating constraints in six categories: access, runway notes, noise procedures, environmental, pavement strength and other notes.
Pure jet touch-and-go operations or low approaches are prohibited.
The commercial airline ramp is closed to all general aviation aircraft.
When the control tower is closed, pilots activate MALSR for runway 07, REIL for runways 15R and 25, HIRL for runway 07/25, and MIRL for runway 15R/33L via CTAF. The PAPI for runway 25 operates continuously.
Runway 15L/33R is not available for Part 121/Part 380 operations involving scheduled passenger-carrying flights with more than 9 passenger seats, or non-scheduled passenger-carrying flights with more than 30 passenger seats.
Runway 15R/33L is not available for Part 121/Part 380 operations involving scheduled passenger-carrying flights with more than 9 passenger seats, or non-scheduled passenger-carrying flights with more than 30 passenger seats.
Runway 15L/33R is available during daylight hours only.
Noise abatement procedures are in effect; contact airport operations for details.
Numerous flocks of birds are present on and in the vicinity of the airport.
PCR VALUE: 658/F/D/X/T
PCR VALUE: 45/F/D/X/T
100LL fuel is available 24 hours a day via self-service credit card.
A fee applies for Jet A fuel purchased after normal attendance hours.
Due to limited ramp space at the airline terminal, non-scheduled transport-category aircraft with more than 30 passenger seats are required to contact airport operations prior to arrival.
No customs personnel or facilities are available, and international aircraft will not be allowed to land unless an emergency exists.
All ACR aircraft must contact ATC on frequency 121.7 prior to pushback from the terminal ramp and for remain-overnight parking movements between 0600 and 2300. Escorts are required from remain-overnight parking when ATC is closed; contact airport operations.
Source: FAA Chart Supplement.
Nearby airfields
Santa Barbara Municipal has five airfields within 41 NM. The closest is Santa Ynez / Kunkle Field (KIZA), 15.86 NM northwest.
Part of the Santa Barbara area.
Source: Skystar calculation from official coordinates.
Skystar at KSBA
We arrange catering, fuel and trip support here. Supplier prices reach you unchanged; our coordination fee sits on its own line.
The same order, priced two ways.
$2,400.00 catering order at KSBA.
Unchanged.
What the kitchen invoices us is what your quote reads.
One line, fixed.
It does not move with the size of the order.
At cost.
Passed on at the exact amount the processor took.
Market practice figures are industry averages, not a specific competitor.
Frequently asked questions
What runway length is available at KSBA for business jet operations?
Santa Barbara Municipal's primary runway, 07/25, offers 6,052 feet of paved asphalt at 150 feet wide, the longest surface on the field. The two parallel runways, 15R/33L and 15L/33R, measure 4,184 feet and 4,180 feet respectively, both narrower at 100 feet and 75 feet. Runway 15L/33R is restricted to daylight hours only. For most business aircraft, 07/25 is the operationally relevant runway given its length and lighting. KSBA sits at 14 feet elevation, so density altitude is rarely a limiting factor for runway performance calculations.
Is customs clearance available on-site at Santa Barbara Municipal?
No customs personnel or facilities are available at KSBA, and international aircraft will not be permitted to land there unless an emergency exists. The nearest customs-equipped airport is KVNY, located approximately 68.27 nautical miles away. Flight planners handling international arrivals need to route accordingly and clear customs elsewhere before or after a stop at Santa Barbara Municipal. This restriction applies regardless of aircraft type or operator category.
What fuel types does KSBA offer and are there after-hours conditions?
Santa Barbara Municipal stocks both 100LL and Jet A fuel. 100LL is available on a 24-hour basis through credit card self-service. Jet A fuel carries a fee outside normal attendance hours, so crews arriving after hours should anticipate an after-hours charge for Jet A uplift. The field's published attendance schedule runs 0600 to 2300 local daily, which frames when full-service fueling support is otherwise available without the after-hours fee.
Are there restrictions on which runways scheduled or charter passenger flights can use at KSBA?
Yes. Both parallel runways at Santa Barbara Municipal, 15L/33R and 15R/33L, are not available for Part 121 or Part 380 operations carrying more than 9 passenger seats on scheduled flights or more than 30 passenger seats on non-scheduled flights. That leaves runway 07/25 as the applicable runway for larger passenger-carrying commercial operations at KSBA. Operators planning charter or scheduled passenger movements above these seat thresholds should plan their approach and departure around 07/25 specifically. This distinction matters for dispatch planning since the two shorter, narrower runways are otherwise open to general aviation traffic.
What ramp and pushback procedures apply to air carrier aircraft at Santa Barbara Municipal?
All ACR aircraft at KSBA must contact ATC on frequency 121.7 prior to pushback from the terminal ramp and prior to remain-overnight parking movements between 0600 and 2300. When ATC is closed outside those hours, escorts are required from remain-overnight parking, arranged by contacting airport operations. The commercial airline ramp itself is closed to all general aviation aircraft. Non-scheduled transport-category aircraft carrying more than 30 passenger seats are additionally required to contact airport operations prior to arrival, given limited ramp space at the airline terminal.