Airport, Amazon officials say rumors are untrue




 

Rumors have been flying on social media that Amazon plans to use Camarillo Airport for cargo jet traffic, but airport and Amazon officials say the reports are untrue.

Leaders from the Ventura County Department of Airports launched efforts earlier this year to update the airport’s master plan, but put the update on hold for a year or more amid widespread opposition to the possibility of commercial flights out of the local airport.

Deputy Director of Airports Dave Nafie said airport officials are aware of the rumors about Amazon and hope to set the record straight.

“We’re paying attention to what’s being said in various channels and there’s a lot of misinformation out there,” Nafie said.

The Camarillo Acorn submitted a Freedom of Information Act request June 16 to the airport department seeking any correspondence between the agency and Amazon.

The following day airport officials sent copies of over 60 emails regarding a logistics company working for Amazon that leased part of the airport property for storing delivery trucks overnight. The lease began June 1, 2020 and was terminated March 31, 2021.

There were no mentions of airplane cargo traffic in the emails.

Nafie said those emails are the only correspondence between Amazon and the airport department.

“That’s the sum total of everything Amazon,” he said.

Nafie said the rumors about Amazon wanting to use the airport for cargo traffic may have partly arisen from the lease for the parking area and compared the situation to the child’s game of telephone where misinformation is spread between players.

The Acorn also reached out to Amazon public relations officials June 23 to ask if they had any plans to use the airport for cargo jets.

Amazon representative Eileen Hards responded concisely.

“These are rumors,” the email said.

Nafie said if Amazon ever did propose using the airport for cargo planes there would be an extensive public review process.

“If they were interested in operating cargo jets here at Camarillo Airport, there would be a number of logistic steps and lots of ways for the public to weigh in on that. It would not happen quickly,” he said.

Nafie admitted airport officials could have done a better job with their messaging to the public at the start of the master plan process.

“We have a little bit of work to do to communicate better,” he said. “I think we’ve learned a little bit about pent-up anxiety over airport issues.”

Nafie said once rumors about Amazon cargo jets take off it’s hard to bring them back down to earth.

“A lot of that was just the imaginations of certain folks and it’s difficult to get ahead of certain rumors,” Nafie said. “There’s no deep plot of any sort. There’s no larger plan in place, I can assure you of that.”

Nafie said when they put a hold on updating the master plan they committed to listening more carefully to the community’s desires, and airport officials are hopeful correct information will prevail as the process moves forward in coming years.

In April,Ventura County Director of Airports Kip Turner wrote a letter to Camarillo City Manager Greg Ramirez with concerns about provisions in the 1976 agreement between the county and city that sets restrictions on airport operations, which most notably ensures the airport remains for general aviation use and not commercial flights.

Turner said the restrictions don’t meet current laws and FAA requirements. Ramriez, in response, challenged Turner’s statement that the 45-year-old agreement needs to be changed.

“Any change to the 1976 agreement has the potential to significantly alter the character of the City of Camarillo,” Ramirez said in a recent news release.

“For that reason, we are seeking community engagement opportunities that will result in a true, non-biased understanding of the voice of the Camarillo community,” he said.

The City Council voted unanimously last night, June 23, to hire a research firm to create a public survey on the airport.