About Us

Welcome to the Watsonville Municipal Airport website, your portal to the sole airport within Santa Cruz county. Watsonville Municipal (KWVI) is a Regional General Aviation airport serving the business aviation requirements and recreational facilities of the City of Watsonville, County of Santa Cruz, and the Monterey Bay Area.

The Municipal Airport serves approximately 40% of all general aviation activities in the Monterey Bay area. General Aviation (GA) provides more than one percent of the United States' gross domestic product (GDP), accounting for 1.3 million jobs in services and manufacturing.

Economic Impact

Locally the Municipal Airport creates employment, stimulates the Watsonville economy, serves as an important tool for business and is a critical element of our national airspace system. KWVI is one of over 5,000 airports in the United States available for public use by pilots.

The Municipal Airport, owned by the City of Watsonville, is a self sustaining "enterprise operation" with a staff of nine full time employees. The Airport is home to 285 aircraft and is used extensively by various businesses and specifically the agri-business community. The two runways (2-20 and 9-27) accommodate over 60,000 operations per year including an estimated 5,000 instrument approaches. The Airport has a National Weather Service Automated Surface Observation Station (ASOS) on the field.

Terminal Building

The Municipal Airport's Terminal building includes administrative offices, communications room (UNICOM) and lobby area. A restaurant and café is located within the terminal building. The Airport offers full service aircraft fueling support and a self service fueling island.

Airport Layout

Watsonville Municipal Airport has 206 T-hangars, 12 corporate hangars, 12 mini-hangars, three "Box" hangars and 80 tie downs spots to serve based aircraft. East of the terminal building one hangar is dedicated as an education center and another a fixed based operator (FBO).

To the terminal's southwest is home to two maintenance FBOs, an aircraft restoration operation, an upholstery shop, two fixed-wing flight schools, one rotary wing flight school and a sport parachute operation.

Busiest in the Area

Watsonville's airport is the tri-county's busiest per number of operations and based aircraft. The Airport supports many activities including private flying, flight training, ground school, aircraft rental, maintenance, air ambulance, law enforcement aviation, air charter, skydiving, and many other aviation related business concerns.

Highlighted by the Federal Aviation Administration

In 2012 the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) study of 2,455 General Aviation Airports (PDF) highlighted Watsonville Municipal as a representative example of a "Regional Airport." The FAA reiterated KWVI's function as an emergency preparedness and response entity, a critical portal to community access, a driver of commercial and economic activities and a destination with its own special attributes and offerings.

Volunteer Organizations

KWVI is well known for it's dedicated volunteer organizations including Civil Air Patrol Squadron 13, Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 119, Monterey Bay Ninety-Nines and the Watsonville Pilots Association. This "Home Town Airport" is also host of the annual Watsonville Fly-In.

Gateway to California's Central Coast

As a gateway to California's Central Coast the Watsonville Municipal Airport offers residents and visitors the opportunity to realize the value a classic General Aviation Airport brings to the city, county and country.