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Ontario International Airport has taken the first step in a renovation and expansion that could take 10 years or more to complete.
The Ontario International Airport Authority has agreed to begin working on the environmental studies regarding ONT BOLD, a series of expansions and infrastructure improvements that will include a fourth terminal, according to a statement released by the authority.
The airport, which will mark 10 years of local ownership Nov. 1, currently operates two regular terminals, Terminals 2 and 4, and an international arrivals facility.
Besides the new terminal, which for now is being called Terminal 3, ONT BOLD calls for major upgrades to the existing terminals and construction of a six-story parking garage. The airport’s terminal roadways, curbs, vehicle parking, rental car facilities and aircraft apron will also be upgraded to ensure maximum efficiency.
Terminal 3 will have three levels and cover approximately 650,000 square feet. It will include a Federal Inspection Service stations and facilities for processing passengers.
Cost, and a construction schedule have yet to be determined, but the economic impact on the Inland Empire over time is expected to be substantial, said Alan Wapner, Ontario’s Mayor Pro Tem and president of the airport authority.
“The airport already has a huge economic impact as it is, and we certainly expect to have a huge amount of growth because of the expansion,” Wapner said. “The more capacity we have at the airport the more passengers and cargo we can push through there, especially cargo.”
Ontario International accommodates about seven million air travelers a year, and has an average of 90 departures to 30 major destinations a day. During the first four months of this year, 2.1 million passengers passed through Ontario International, a slight year-over-year increase, according to a statement on the airport’s website.
There are a number of reasons why Ontario International needs a major overhaul.
Currently, Ontario International needs “a world class upgrade” that will include more roadways, parking spaces, restaurants, ticket counters, and gates, according to a fact sheet on Ontario International’s website that deals exclusively with the renovation/expansion project.
The airport’s two terminals will be upgraded and expanded, charging stations for electric-powered vehicles will be installed in the parking lots, and a rental car facility may be added, although that has not been added to the plan.
Stronger security checkpoints, ones based on today’s stricter rules regarding passenger access rules, are also needed in both terminals, according the fact sheet.
The environmental work authorized by the airport authority’s board of directors will involve the California Environmental Quality Act, a complex process that could take up to18 months to complete, said Atif Elkadi, the board’s chief executive.
After that, federal environmental regulations will be addressed. Making certain all environmental rules are being followed is the first step in getting ONT BOLD started, according to Elkadi.
“We want to grow in a way that’s sensible and smart,“ Elkadi said. “We don’t want to have the problems you see at other airports, like too much congestion and bad traffic flow. We’re going to to grow responsibly, and in a way that will show the airport to be an economic driver for the region.
The airport authority hopes that Terminal 3, which will be next to the parking garage between the two existing terminals, will one day become the airport’s most recognizable structure.
“Terminal 3 is going to be iconic,” Elkadi said. “Eventually, it’s going to be the central focus of the airport. It will have all of the amenities that are in our terminals now, and it will help us expand our capacity. But there will be a lot more than what you see in Terminals 2 and 4.
“I think a lot of people believe Terminal 3 will be just like Terminals 2 and 3, but that’s not true. There will be a lot of differences.”
Commercial airports are “indispensable“ to the U.S. economy, according to study released last year by Airports Council International-North America.
The study, which was based on data compiled during 2024, found that the 487 commercial service airports in the United States support 12.8 million jobs, produce $619 billon in payroll a year, and produce $1.8 trillion in annual services, traffic, and economic services, collectively known as output.
Total output rose 31 percent between 2017 – the last time the Airports Council conducted an economic impact study – and 2024. That increase was consistent with inflation during that seven-year period, according the study.
The commercial aviation industry has almost recovered completely from the pandemic, so future growth in output can be expected, the report states.
The report also found that finding money to pay for airport infrastructure upgrades is difficult. In 2024, approximately $30.2 billion was needed to pay for those improvements at U.S. commercial airports, but only $17.3 billion was available.
That $12.9 billion shortfall will results in a loss of $6.1 billion in economic output and 53,500 fewer jobs in 2034, 10 years from when the shortfall was established, according to the study.
Ontario International is indisputably a major economic engine, not only in the Inland Empire but all of Southern California. It generates $3.8 billon a year in economic activity and supports 27,800 jobs annually, according to the airport authority.
The largest commercial airport in the Inland Empire is also one of the largest cargo airports in North America, handling 65,000 to 85,000 tons of cargo a month.
ONT BOLD’s economic impact will take awhile to be felt, but it will happen and it will be substantial.
“It’s going to be huge, not just in terms of more passengers and international cargo coming in, but what its going to do for our hospitality and tourism industries,” Wapner said. “There will be a lot of improvement, and it will all feed on itself.”
