Sacramento County launches plan to turn Mather Airport into a trade hub

Sacramento County has launched an effort to expand aircraft operations at Mather Airport and explore transforming the former Air Force base into a tradeport, a development that could change the area’s aviation, logistics and economic-development outlook.

The initiative was reported on May 21, 2026. It centers on Mather Airport in the Mather community and positions the former base as a potential trade and logistics hub rather than describing a completed airport conversion.

What the county is considering

The county’s effort would expand aircraft operations at Mather Airport. Officials described the proposed transformation as a “tradeport,” linking the airport site to increased aviation and logistics activity and to the county’s economic-development goals.

For people and businesses in Mather, the planning effort could eventually have practical implications for airport operations, freight traffic, land use and infrastructure demand. It could also affect the local employment outlook and the way nearby businesses interact with the airport. The approved reporting does not establish that any of those changes have occurred yet.

The project site is Mather Airport, which is located in Mather and occupies the former Air Force base identified in the reporting. Sacramento County is the governing entity tied to the airport and the broader economic-development effort.

No construction timeline or final scope yet

The development remains an ongoing planning effort. The approved sources do not show that construction has begun, and they do not establish a final project scope, financing plan or construction deadline.

They also do not provide a final budget or a confirmed number of new jobs, flights or cargo volume. Those distinctions matter: the county has begun pursuing the concept, but Mather Airport has not been established as a completed tradeport.

What comes next

Future county actions involving Mather-area facilities, land use or economic development would be recorded through the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors’ official agenda and actions system. That system is identified as the primary record path for Board actions affecting county facilities, land use and economic development.

As of the approved sources, no final approval, construction phase or project deadline has been established. Residents, airport users and local businesses will need additional county actions and planning details to determine the project’s eventual effects on traffic, freight, jobs and infrastructure.