Ontario International Airport has received a pat on the back from the federal government.
The Ontario International Airport Authority and Los Angeles World Airports have been recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration for transferring ownership of the airport, according to a statement.
Both are recipients of the 2017 Herman C. Bliss Airports Partnership Award, which was announced last week.
The award acknowledges that both agencies worked cooperatively with the aviation administration to shift ownership of the airport from LAWA, an agency of the city of Los Angeles, to the airport authority.
That transfer happened last November, more than one year after LAWA – which also owns Los Angeles International Airport – agreed to hand over control of Ontario International to local authorities. Ontario officials accused LAWA of neglecting Ontario International, which saw its passenger count drop to mid-1980s levels during the recession.