Former FAA officials stand up for Ontario International

Ontario International Airport needs to be revived for the benefit of the national airport system, according to a former Federal Aviation Administration official.

William Withycombe, former regional administrator for the aviation administration’s Western-Pacific region, told the Ontario International Airport Authority this week that Ontario International’s importance is more than regional, according to a report in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

Withycombe told the authority that between 1983 and 2013, the aviation administration spent more than $210 million on security and efficiency improvements at Ontario International, and that he believes the airport must remain a public entity that serves the public good, the report started.

Ontario is engaged in a legal battle with the city of Los Angeles, the airport’s owner, regarding control of the airport.

Even with an uptick last year, passenger traffic has fallen dramatically since the recession hit. Ontario officials allege that Los Angeles World Airports, the agency that owns and manages Ontario International, has poured most of its time and resources into one of its other properties, Los Angeles International Airport, at the expense of Ontario International.