IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Construction will begin next week on two 25,000-square-foot buildings at San Bernardino International Airport that will house equipment at the planned Amazon Air Regional Air Hub.
The main facility, which is under construction, will consist off a 658,000-square-foot main cargo terminal, a 40-acre ramp that will accommodate up to 14 aircraft and the two storage buildings, said Mark Gibbs, the airport’s aviation director.
The $200 million-plus project is expected to employ approximately 1,700 people when it opens, and it could ultimately reach 4,000 workers, according to Gibbs.
“It’s a big project and something we’ve been working on for a long time,” Gibbs said. “We had to modify our original plan to get it approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.”
Construction has already started on the main cargo building. The project, which is being developed by Hillwood, a commercial real estate developer in Ontario, and Amazon, the online retail giant.
The project is expected to be completed late this year or in early 2021, Gibbs said.
“We are excited to realize a long-term goal of offering air cargo operations at our airport, just as Norton Air Force Base did at this location for decades,” said Michael Burrows, the airport’s executive director, in a statement. “We are pleased to invite Amazon Air to initiate cargo operations alongside other partners at our new cargo facility to benefit local residents and contribute to the region’s job growth and economic recovery.”
San Bernardino International Airport is a general aviation and cargo airport. It’s on the site of the former Norton Air Force Base, which was decommissioned in 1994.
