SAN DIEGO — San Diego's Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport began offering unleaded gasoline to clients in a move to improve air quality and public health.
"All San Diegans deserve to live in clean, safe and healthy neighborhoods, and that starts with the air we breathe," said City Councilman Raul Campillo, who represents District 7, where the airport is located. "I'm proud to have partnered with grassroots community organizations like the Montgomery-Gibbs Environmental Coalition to deliver this long-awaited quality of life and public health improvement for the entire neighborhood."
The Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport is the third busiest general aviation airport in the nation, supporting 1,400 jobs and generating around $180 million in economic activity every year, a city statement reads.
By switching from leaded gasoline -- which increases the risk of lead exposure in the air when used in a combustion engine -- the city is aligning with the Federal Aviation Administration's goal to switch to unleaded fuels by 2030.
"The Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport plays a vital role in our local economy, serving thousands of pilots and passengers a year," said the city's Economic Development Director Christina Bibler. "Supplying various fuel options will help continue stimulating economic activity, and the use of unleaded fuel will provide a safer environment for all."
While the airport will continue to offer leaded fuel, the unleaded -- known as UL94 -- can help reduce maintenance costs, which city officials hope will be an incentive. To use UL94, plane owners will need a certificate and their aircraft must be approved for the fuel.
"By offering UL94, we are taking a significant step toward a greener future for general aviation," said Jorge Rubio, San Diego's economic development deputy director and chief of airports. "We are dedicated to providing pilots with safe, high-performance fuel while prioritizing the health of our environment and community."
The city bought a towable fuel tank operating on solar-powered batteries to bring the fuel to the airport.