Daily commercial flights will return to McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad beginning Feb. 13 under a contract with American Airlines approved unanimously Wednesday by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. The two-year lease was opposed by residents who have fought any expansion of the airport for decades, mainly because of the noise from flights over nearby homes. Pilots, business owners and air travelers from across the county supported the service. Denial of the American Airlines contract could be considered discriminatory by the Federal Aviation Administration, which provides more than 90 percent of the funding for capital improvements at the county’s airports, said county Director of Airports Jamie Abbott. The county could lose millions of dollars in annual funding were the contract not approved, Abbott said. Also, the FAA could revoke previous funding for what the agency considers the failure to follow the terms of its grants. Recent court cases in Los Angeles and Santa Monica have upheld the FAA’s requirement that smaller airports must be available to commercial airlines, Abbott said. Just last year, the Los Angeles City Council reversed its decision to deny a helicopter company’s lease at its Van Nuys airport based on noise concerns. “I feel we basically have a gun to our heads,” said the board’s acting Chair Terra Lawson-Remer. There’s a chance residents or the Carlsbad City Council could sue the county for approving the deal, she said, but the FAA could take legal action if it’s not approved. “I’m very upset,” Lawson-Remer said. “There are a lot of concerns about making sure we are not impacting the quality of life.” Supervisor Jim Desmond, a former pilot for Delta Airlines, said he was pleased to see commercial flights returning to North County even though he realized there are legitimate concerns about noise. The Embraer 175 jets that American will use at Palomar are quieter than the business jets that operate there now, Desmond said. The new jets also will be quieter than the turboprop aircraft used for previous commercial flights. Also, he said, the new jets become airborne quicker and climb faster than older planes, which further helps to reduce the noise heard near the airport. The board received 28 requests to speak and more than 1,100 emails on the contract, a majority of which opposed it. “The fact of the matter is this airport loses money, and they are trying to convince you that going after more FAA money is going to solve that,” said Don Betro, a Carlsbad resident representing homeowners associations near the airport. The Vista City Council approved a resolution opposing the contract in October. Carlsbad Intergovernmental Affairs Director Jason Haber said Wednesday that the city considers the American Airlines contract an expansion of services at the airport, and that the county should have consulted with the city before approving it. The Carlsbad City Council approved amendments in November to the city’s general plan, zoning ordinance, and local coastal program as an effort to take greater control of any development at the airport. County officials said Wednesday the contract meets all the conditions of a conditional use permit Carlsbad issued years ago for the airport. Along with approving the contract, the board agreed to waive $351,000 in fees for the airline in the first year of the contract, and to remove a 70-seat restriction on aircraft using the airport. The Embraer jets will have a capacity of 76 seats. The flights will be offered by American Eagle, a regional service of American Airlines. Jets will depart at 6:15 a.m. and 12:35 p.m., returning at 11:50 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. daily. American Eagle previously flew daily from Carlsbad to Los Angeles from 1991 to 1997. United Express provided regular service between Carlsbad and Los Angeles from 1996 to 2016. United used a 30-passenger turboprop for the flights, which ceased when the company switched to a new fleet of jets that needed a longer runway. Airport officials said Wednesday they will add two more noise monitors to the four now at the airport, and they will report the data collected to the board at the end of the year. The airport opened at its present location in 1959, when it was relocated from Del Mar to accommodate construction of Interstate 5. Carlsbad annexed the airport and surrounding property in 1978.