Museum of Flying Extended Daily Operating Hours
The Santa Monica museum has increased its daily closing time to accommodate families and after-school visitors.
Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Air Travel
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The Museum of Flying has extended its daily operating hours, now closing at 5 p.m. instead of 4 p.m. The change is designed to better accommodate families visiting for after-school sessions.
Why it matters
The decision follows an increase in visitor activity noted between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. By extending the day, the museum aims to capture more traffic from families during the late afternoon window.
Located at 3100 Airport Ave., the 22,000-square-foot facility houses 5 interactive exhibits and over 300 aircraft models. Operating hours are now 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.
The players
Museum of Flying
This aviation museum is located at the Santa Monica Airport and maintains a collection of historical aircraft and flight simulators.
The details
The museum, founded in 1974, currently manages a collection of roughly 12 to 24 aircraft within its Santa Monica Airport site. This expansion of service hours provides guests more time to engage with the facility's interactive flight simulators and historical aviation displays.
Timeline
The Museum of Flying was originally founded in 1974.
The current museum facility opened on February 25, 2012.
New operating hours officially took effect on September 24, 2026.
The Santa Monica Airport is scheduled to close at the end of 2028.
Roadmap
The Museum of Flying is attempting to maximize visitor engagement during the final years of the Santa Monica Airport's existence. This decision mirrors broader trends in cultural site management where organizations optimize limited operational windows to drive attendance before forced relocation or site decommissioning.
Visitors can now plan for later arrival times, specifically targeting the new 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. window. This extra hour allows families more flexibility for after-school excursions without needing to rush through the museum's interactive exhibits.
The takeaway
Maximizing utility during peak afternoon demand is a proven strategy for cultural institutions facing fixed operational timeframes. Guests should verify current holiday hours on the museum website before planning their late-afternoon visits.
What happens next
The Santa Monica Airport is currently scheduled to permanently close at the end of 2028, which will require the Museum of Flying to finalize plans for its collection and future operations.
Further reading
Learn more about the local aviation landscape in our Air Travel section.
More information
For more information on current exhibits and visiting hours, visit the Museum of Flying official website.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Santa Monica Daily Press.
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