The Ontario Airport emancipation movement has gained ally, as a non-profit representing the business community has formed to support the bid for local control. The poor management of the inland airport has hit businesses, and especially hotels, hardest.
Pointing to mismanagement as the cause, officials and community leaders say that the airport’s declining passenger traffic has caused the community to lose business and hotels to suffer with unprecedented vacancies. Passengers and airlines have migrated from the Ontario airport – which is one of the costliest airports in the region – to other hubs such as LAX or Orange County. Further fueling the exodus is an area around the airport that has fallen into disrepair.
To help turn the region around, the city and community have been working to convince the Los Angeles World Airports – who currently operates the airport – to transition authority to a locally controlled Ontario International Airport Authority.
The new business alliance, however, expands the portfolio of actions that can be taken to support a new, local authority. The business group could take political positions and build alliances between businesses that could capitalize on the convenience of having a local airport.
Read the full story at the San Bernardino Sun.