Parked aircraft and vehicles on Hollister Municipal Airport’s ramp. Photo by Noe Magaña.
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Parked aircraft and vehicles on Hollister Municipal Airport’s ramp. Photo by Noe Magaña.
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As the Hollister Municipal Airport looks to take part in aviation innovations, it must first address some logistical challenges. To that end, the airport is in the initial stages of a regional effort to establish the state’s first Federal Aviation Administration-compliant multi-airport flight corridor network.
The Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP), on behalf of the Monterey Bay Tech Hub, has secured a $7.4 million grant to invest in infrastructure at airports in Hollister, Watsonville, Marina and Salinas to support electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts.
With funding available, the airports are identifying infrastructure needs to support the corridor.
Hollister Municipal Airport Director Jeff Crechriou said among the challenges the local airport faces are “the need for charging stations and where they would be located, and designated areas for aircraft to land and take off, given the airport’s relatively small aircraft parking and fueling ramp.”
Hollister Municipal Airport’s ramp highlighted in yellow. Image from Google Earth.
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Hollister Municipal Airport’s ramp highlighted in yellow. Image from Google Earth.
” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM.png?fit=300%2C226&quality=80&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM.png?fit=780%2C587&quality=80&ssl=1″ src=”https://aanwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM.jpg” alt=”Hollister Municipal Airport’s ramp highlighted in yellow. Image from Google Earth.” class=”wp-image-131756″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM.png?resize=1024%2C771&quality=80&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM.png?resize=300%2C226&quality=80&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM.png?resize=768%2C578&quality=80&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM.png?resize=1536%2C1156&quality=80&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM.png?resize=400%2C301&quality=80&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM.png?resize=200%2C150&quality=80&ssl=1 200w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM.png?resize=1200%2C903&quality=80&ssl=1 1200w, https://aanwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM.jpg 780w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM.png?resize=706%2C531&quality=80&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM.png?w=1876&quality=80&ssl=1 1876w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-25-at-1.08.24-PM-1024×771.png?w=370&quality=80&ssl=1 370w” sizes=”(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px”>
Regarding the charging stations, Crechriou said that besides installing them in an appropriate location, it’s unknown if there is a universal standard to cover each technology, or if it would require different types of chargers.
He said the directors of the four airports are meeting with Monterey Bay Tech Hub to discuss infrastructure priorities, which will drive the timeline and how funding may be allocated to the airports for projects.
The advantage of the Hollister airport, Crechriou said, is that San Benito County has very good weather for flying.
The companies operating in the region are Wisk out of Hollister, Joby Aviation out of Marina and Watsonville, and Archer out of Salinas.
San Mateo-based Alef Aeronautics is looking to test its flying car at the Hollister airport.
MBEP President and CEO Tahra Goraya said the organization requested $9.5 million and is exploring additional funding sources to fill the $2 million gap.
“I think it’s an exciting time for our region,” Goraya said, adding the plan is to include additional airports and other regions as the project and funding move forward.
Goraya said the corridor is part of a larger state-based effort to invest in economic development with the COVID-era $600 million Community Economic Resilience Fund.
According to the state, the fund is intended to support the development of regional economic roadmaps that invest in industries that “will thrive in a carbon-neutral future, create high-quality jobs, and build a more equitable economy that works for all.”
Goraya said the first phase was identifying, as a region, priorities in economic development.
San Benito County is part of the coalition known as Uplift Central Coast, which stretches from Santa Cruz County to Ventura County. Uplift received a $5 million planning grant in 2022 to write an inclusive economic development plan.
Goraya said that plan and MBEP’s plan identified advanced air mobility—in addition to established industries such as agriculture, hospitality and tourism—as opportunities to create high quality, high paying jobs.
“We want to maintain this corridor so it’s not a one-and-done,” Goraya said.
Crechriou and Goraya said the investment in the corridor will help make the airport and the region more attractive to the aviation industry.
“Once these corridors are established, there is more potential to attract other eVTOL companies to establish operations in the region and the airports,” Crechriou said.
Goraya said she hopes the corridor’s economic impact is felt beyond the aviation industry because the technology has implications in industries such as health care, agriculture, fire mitigation and marine research.
“I’m hoping that would unlock economic growth and more opportunities for our rural communities,” she said.
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