Ontario International Airport

Ontario International Airport (IATA: ONT, ICAO: KONT, FAA LID: ONT) is a public airport two miles east of downtown Ontario, in San Bernardino County, California, about 38 miles (61 km) east of Downtown Los Angeles and 18 miles (29 km) west of Downtown San Bernardino. It is owned and operated under a joint powers agreement with the city of Ontario and San Bernardino County.[1]

This article is about the airport in the U.S. state of California. For airports in Ontario, Canada, see List of airports in Ontario. For the airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, see Ontario Municipal Airport.

Ontario International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Ontario/San Bernardino County
OperatorOntario International Airport Authority[1]
ServesOntario, California / Inland Empire, California
LocationOntario, California
Hub forUPS Airlines
Elevation AMSL944 ft / 288 m
Coordinates34°03′22″N 117°36′04″W
Websitewww.flyontario.com
Maps

FAA airport diagram
ONT
Location
ONT
ONT (California)
ONT
ONT (the United States)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
8L/26R 12,197 3,718 Concrete
8R/26L 10,200 3,109 Concrete
Statistics (2019)
Aircraft operations100,479
Passengers5,583,732
Total cargo (tons)781,993

The airport covers 1,741 acres (705 ha) and has two parallel runways.[2] It is the West Coast air and truck hub for UPS Airlines and is a major distribution point for FedEx Express. ONT currently has more than 64 daily departures and arrivals.[4] Thanks to Ontario's long runways (runway 8L/26R is longer than three of the four runways at LAX), it is often an alternate landing site for large aircraft destined for LAX.[5]

History

Origins

In 1923 a landing field was established east of Central Avenue (3 miles (4.8 km) west of the current airport) on land leased from the Union Pacific Railroad. The airfield was named Latimer Field after an orange-packing company next to the airstrip. An airport was built there by one of the first flying clubs in southern California, the Friends of Ontario Airport. In 1929, the city of Ontario purchased 30 acres (12 ha), now in the southwest corner of the airport, for $12,000, and established the Ontario Municipal Airport.

In 1941 the city bought 470 acres (190 ha) around the airport and approved construction of new runways, which were completed by 1942, with funds from the Works Progress Administration. The 6,200-foot (1,900 m) east–west runway and the 4,700-foot (1,400 m) northeast–southwest runway cost $350,000.[6] On 27 February 1942, an Army Air Corps plane made the first landing at the new airport. By 1943, the airport was an Army Air Corps Lockheed P-38 Lightning training base and North American P-51 Mustang operating base.

After the war, it was one of the five large storage, sales, and scrapping centers for Army Air Forces aircraft established by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation; others were at Albuquerque AAF, New Mexico; Altus AAF, Oklahoma; Kingman AAF, Arizona; and Walnut Ridge AAF, Arkansas.

Ontario International Airport
Aerial view of Ontario International Airport

In 1946, Ontario Municipal Airport was renamed "Ontario International Airport" because of the transpacific cargo flights originating there. On 17 May 1946, two Army surplus steel hangars arrived at the airport, which the Ontario city council had authorized the $50,000 purchase of just the previous week. City officials were pleased to have secured a bargain. Thought to be the only pair available in the U.S., City Manager Harold J. Martin observed that even if they could be acquired at a later date, the cost would be several times that afforded by prompt action.[7] A Pacific Overseas Airlines flight from Shanghai arrived at Ontario on 18 May 1946, "which inaugurated regular round-trip air passenger air service between the United States and the orient."[8] In 1949 Western Airlines began scheduled flights; in 1955 Bonanza Air Lines flights started. Western and Bonanza nonstops did not reach beyond Las Vegas. In 1962 Western began nonstop flights to San Francisco (one Electra daily). In 1967 Bonanza began nonstop F27 flights to Phoenix.

Ontario and Los Angeles entered into a joint powers agreement, making Ontario International Airport part of the Los Angeles regional airports system.[9] In 1968 the airport saw its first scheduled jet flights. In 1969 Continental Airlines started 720B nonstops to Denver and Chicago; Air California started 737 flights to San Jose; Pacific Southwest Airlines started San Francisco flights; and Western began 737 nonstops to Sacramento and Salt Lake City. In 1970 United Airlines started a nonstop to Chicago and American started flights to Dallas (and Chicago, for a short time). In September 1986, Ontario hosted the Concorde supersonic airliner during a promotional round-the-world flight.[10]

In 1981 a second east–west runway, 26L/8R, was built, necessitating the removal of the old NE-SW runway 4/22. Remnants of the 4/22 runway are visible in the present-day taxiways. With the completion of the new runway, the existing runway 25/7 became 26R/8L. In 1985, the city of Los Angeles acquired Ontario International Airport outright from the city of Ontario. In 1987, Runway 26R/8L was extended to the east to bring the two runway thresholds side by side, so aircraft would be higher over neighborhoods. 26R/8L became the main departing runway and 26L/8R the main arrival runway.

For a number of years, the airport operated alongside Ontario Air National Guard Station, which was closed as a result of the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

In 1998 the new and larger airport terminal opened, designed by DMJM Aviation.[11] Two older terminals, west of the current terminal, the main terminal and a small terminal were discontinued when the new Terminal 2 and Terminal 4 facilities were opened. The old terminals currently house the administration and the USO.

In 2005 and 2006, Runway 26R/8L was repaved, strengthened, and received storm drains and better runway lighting, and additional improvements to taxiway intersections were made.[12]

In 2006, Ontario International Airport became "LA/Ontario International Airport." The "LA" portion was added to remind fliers of Los Angeles and to avoid confusion with the province of Ontario in Canada.[13]

Recent history
China Airlines Boeing 777-300ER (B-18055) arriving at Ontario Airport

The airport's traffic peaked in 2005 with 7.2 million passengers, and remained steady through 2007. Around the time of the 2008 financial crisis, JetBlue suspended service to ONT, and major legacy carriers significantly decreased their passenger volume at the airport.[14] Southwest Airlines transferred a significant portion of its Ontario capacity to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), making LAX fares more competitive with ONT while being coupled with more attractive frequencies and a wider range of destinations. The surrounding Inland Empire region was hit hard by the financial crisis, with the nearby city of San Bernardino declaring bankruptcy.[15] The airport suffered a 40% decline in traffic between 2007 and 2012,[16] during which time traffic at LAX recovered to surpass pre-recession levels.[14]

Ownership and control of the airport became an issue in late 2010 when the city of Ontario, supported by the Southern California Association of Governments, criticized and questioned LAWA's operation of the airport.[17][18][19] A group of local government officials, led by Ontario city council member Alan Wapner, began a campaign to transfer control of the airport away from Los Angeles World Airports. Wapner argued that the City of Los Angeles had no interest in maintaining service at an airport well beyond its borders.[15] In 2013, LAWA offered to return the airport to local control for a purchase price of $474m, which was rejected.[20] Local groups then sued the city of Los Angeles, a suit that was temporarily suspended when both sides agreed to attempt to work together.[21]

In 2015, Los Angeles World Airports tentatively agreed to turn over ownership of Ontario Airport to the city of Ontario. LAWA was "to be reimbursed for its investments in the facility, job protection for the facility's 182 employees and the settlement of a lawsuit in which Ontario sought to regain control of the airport. Once ownership is transferred, the airport will be operated by the Ontario International Airport Authority, formed under a joint-powers agreement between the city of Ontario and San Bernardino County." The Ontario International Airport Authority took over control of operations in November 2016, and the airport's operating name was reverted to Ontario International Airport since the City of Los Angeles no longer oversaw operations of the airport.[4][22]

The airport's continuing traffic decline reversed in early 2017, when the airport experienced faster growth than LAX for the first time since 2007.[23] On September 30, 2017, it was announced that China Airlines would begin nonstop flights from Ontario to Taipei which started in Spring 2018.[24]

Facilities
Main corridor of Terminal 2.
Arrivals and Departures display

Terminals

Ontario International Airport has two terminals and a separate adjacent international arrivals facility.[25]

Terminal 2 has 265,000 square feet (24,600 m2) and 12 gates.[26]

Terminal 4 has 265,000 square feet (24,600 m2) and 14 gates.[27]

The International arrivals facility has 2 gates for arrivals only, containing the airport's U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility.[28] International flights depart from the main terminals.

A USO is housed in the old terminal complex near the international arrivals facility.[29]

Remote parking is located on the east end of the airport (moved from its former location at the west end). On the east end is a ground transportation center that consolidates the rental car companies in one central location. A circulator bus circles the airport and provides connections to each of the terminals, rental car and remote parking lots, and public transit stops.

General aviation is located at the south side of the airport, although most general aviation pilots tend to use a number of nearby airports: Redlands Airport, Chino Airport, Brackett Field in La Verne, Cable Airport in Upland, or San Bernardino International Airport.

Ground transportation

The airport is about 38 miles (61 km) east of downtown Los Angeles, 18 miles (29 km) west of downtown San Bernardino and 14 miles (23 km) northwest of downtown Riverside. Motorists can use the San Bernardino Freeway (Interstate 10), Ontario Freeway (Interstate 15), or the Pomona Freeway (State Route 60). It is served by Omnitrans bus routes 61, 80 and by private shuttles.[30] Metrolink's Riverside Line runs to East Ontario at peak commuter hours, but is roughly 2.3 miles away from the terminal.

The Ontario Airport Loop was endorsed by the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority Board of Directors on June 3, 2020. The Boring Company has purposed a high-speed tunnel linking Rancho Cucamonga with Terminal 2.[31]

Noise restrictions

Ontario has few noise restrictions/abatement rules, unlike other Southern California airports such as John Wayne Airport, Bob Hope Airport, Long Beach Airport, and San Diego International Airport, which all have very strict policies.[32] The airport is allowed to operate 24/7, but during the hours of 10 pm to 7 am all aircraft must arrive from the east on runway 26L or 26R and take-off to the east on runway 8R or 8L, depending on ATC instruction. This procedure is known as "Contra-Flow" operations and applies to turbo-jet or turbo-fan aircraft. This procedure is similar to the one employed by LAX, where all landings are conducted from the east and all takeoffs are to the west (known as "over-ocean" operations) between midnight and 6:30 a.m. Both of these procedures are employed as long as weather and/or construction activity permits. This is done in an effort to be better neighbors and minimize the noise impact to the surrounding communities as much as possible. Residents of cities west of the airport have complained of increased noise as a result of the airport's refusal to abide by noise abatement rules.[33]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger
AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Alaska Airlines Portland (OR), Seattle/Tacoma [34]
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth, Phoenix–Sky Harbor [34]
American Eagle Phoenix–Sky Harbor [34]
China Airlines Taipei–Taoyuan [34]
Delta Air Lines Atlanta, Salt Lake City [34]
Delta Connection Salt Lake City [34]
Frontier Airlines Denver, Guatemala City, Las Vegas, Miami, Newark, Orlando, San Salvador, Seattle/Tacoma
Seasonal: Austin 		[34]
JetBlue New York–JFK [34]
Southwest Airlines Chicago–Midway, Dallas–Love, Denver, Houston–Hobby (begins November 1, 2020),[35] Las Vegas, Oakland, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Portland (OR), Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose (CA) [34]
United Airlines Denver, San Francisco [34]
United Express Houston–Intercontinental, San Francisco [34]
Volaris Guadalajara, Mexico City (begins November 9, 2020)[36] [34]

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
Aloha Air Cargo Greensboro[37]
Amazon Air Atlanta, Austin,[38] Chicago/Rockford, Cincinnati, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Hartford, Honolulu, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Portland (OR),[39] Seattle/Tacoma, St. Louis, Wilmington (OH)[40]
Ameriflight Bakersfield, Blythe, Burbank, Fresno, Imperial, Lancaster, Mojave, Oxnard, Palm Springs, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Tijuana, Visalia
Asia Pacific Airlines Seasonal: Portland (OR), Seattle–Boeing
FedEx Express Fort Worth/Alliance, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Memphis, Oakland, Portland (OR), Reno/Tahoe, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle/Tacoma
FedEx Feeder Bakersfield, Bishop, Imperial, Inyokern, Palmdale, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria
Kalitta Air Seasonal: Honolulu, Philadelphia, Sacramento–Mather[41]
UPS Airlines Albuquerque, Anchorage, Billings, Boise, Chicago/Rockford, Columbia (SC), Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Des Moines, El Paso, Fresno, Hartford, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Houston–Intercontinental,[42] Kahului, Kailua–Kona, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Louisville, Newark, Oakland, Omaha, Orange County, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Portland (OR), Raleigh/Durham,[43] Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento–Mather, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Jose (CA), Seattle–Boeing, Spokane, Tokyo–Narita, Tulsa
Seasonal: Lansing, Manchester (NH), Minneapolis/St. Paul

Statistics

Top destinations
Busiest domestic routes from ONT
(June 2019 – May 2020)[44]
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Arizona 313,000 American, Southwest
2 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 257,000 American
3 Denver, Colorado 215,000 Frontier, Southwest, United
4 Sacramento, California 209,000 Southwest
5 Oakland, California 193,000 Southwest
6 San Francisco, California 143,000 Southwest, United
7 Seattle/Tacoma, Washington 133,000 Alaska
8 San Jose, California 124,000 Southwest
9 Las Vegas, Nevada 112,000 Southwest
10 Portland, Oregon 92,000 Alaska, Southwest
Busiest international routes to and from ONT
(2019)[45]
Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
1 Taipei–Taoyuan, Taiwan 192,944 China Airlines
2 Guadalajara, Mexico 110,925 Volaris

Airline market share
Largest Airlines at ONT
(June 2019 – May 2020)[46]
Rank Airline Passengers Share
1 Southwest Airlines 2,227,000 51.29%
2 American Airlines 766,000 17.64%
3 Alaska Airlines 316,000 7.27%
4 SkyWest Airlines 223,000 5.14%
5 Delta Airlines 221,000 5.08%

Annual traffic
Annual passenger traffic (enplaned + deplaned) at ONT, 1992 through 2019[47][3][48]
Year Passengers Year Passengers Year Passengers
19926,121,62320026,516,85820124,318,994
19936,192,03520036,547,87720133,969,974
19946,386,00020046,937,33720144,127,278
19956,405,09720057,213,52820154,209,311
19966,252,83820067,049,90420164,217,366
19976,300,86220077,207,15020174,552,225
19986,434,85820086,232,76120185,115,894
19996,578,00520094,886,69520195,583,732
20006,756,08620104,808,241
20016,702,40020114,551,875

Accidents and incidents

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. FAA Airport Master Record for ONT (Form 5010 PDF), effective December 20, 2007
  3. "Statistics". Ontario International Airport. January 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  4. "Airport Information - Ontario International Airport". Flyontario.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  5. "Overseas flights diverted to Ontario Airport due to fog". Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  6. "Ontario Air National Guard Station". California State Military Museum. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
  7. "Ontario Acquires Plane Hangars", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 18 May 1946, Volume 52, page 3.
  8. Associated Press, The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Sunday 19 May 1946, page 8.
  9. "QA Ontario International Airport" (PDF). Los Angeles World Airports. p. 2. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  10. "Concorde Arrives at Ontario--5 Hours Late". Los Angeles Times. September 22, 1986. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  11. "Architectural Glass Design". Aecinfo.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2005. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  12. "Ontario International Airport Runway Construction Project To Begin". April 26, 2005. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  13. "Passenger growth at Ontario airport stagnant - Business - PE.com - Southern California News - News for Inland Southern California". Pe.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  14. "Inland Empire Outlook: Challenges Remain for ONT | The Rose Institute of State and Local Government". Roseinstitute.org. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  15. Witz, Billy (September 2, 2013). "Recession Reverses California Airport's Growth". The New York Times. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  16. "Report Warns of Steep Traffic Decline at Ontario Airport". KTLA. August 5, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  17. "Locals Want to Run Ontario Airport". Nbclosangeles.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  18. "Ontario: L.A. should relinquish control of Ontario Airport, Daily Breeze". Dailybreeze.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  19. "Regional support for Inland control of Ontario airport, The BizPress". Inlandsocal.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  20. "Ontario rejects $474 million offer for airport". Dailybulletin.com. April 11, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  21. "Los Angeles should work with Ontario on L.A./Ontario International Airport, Sen. Dianne Feinstein says". Dailybreeze.com. December 19, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  22. Weikel, Dan. "Ontario officials get ownership of international airport and pledge more flights and services - Los Angeles Times". Latimes.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  23. "What the latest passenger numbers at Ontario airport did in March that they haven't done in a decade". Daily Bulletin. April 28, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  24. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 4, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  25. "Airport Overview - Ontario International Airport". Flyontario.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  26. "Terminal 2 Map". Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  27. "Terminal 4 Map". Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  28. "ONTARIO AIRPORT INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS FACILITY". Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  29. "Bob Hope USO Ontario - The Bob Hope USO". Bobhopeuso.org. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  30. Scauzillo, Steve (April 28, 2014). "Gold Line to Ontario Airport off track; bill withdrawn by author". San Gabriel Valley Tribune. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  31. Scauzillo, Steve (June 4, 2020). "Elon Musk-backed tunnel to California airport gets go-ahead". The Mercury News. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  32. "Noise Management - Ontario International Airport". Flyontario.com. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  33. Dunkle, Brenda. "Meeting Sunday on Ontario International Airport noise". Champion Newspapers. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  34. "Nonstop Destinations". flyontario.com. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  35. "Southwest Airlines Extends Published Flight Schedule Through Jan. 4, 2021". Southwest Airlines. May 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  36. Liu, Jim. "Volaris schedules new US routes from Nov 2020". Routesonline. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  37. "Aloha Cargo 710 ✈ FlightAware". Flightaware.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  38. "Atlas Air 3742 ✈ FlightAware". Flightaware.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  39. "Atlas Air 3527 ✈ FlightAware". Flightaware.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  40. "ABX Air 3407 ✈ FlightAware". Flightaware.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  41. "Kalitta Air 2014 ✈ FlightAware". Flightaware.com. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  42. "United Parcel Service 2770 ✈ FlightAware". Flightaware.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  43. "United Parcel Service 2274 ✈ FlightAware". Flightaware.com. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  44. "RITA | BTS | Transtats". Transtats.bts.gov. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  45. "Ontario International Airport Calendar December and YTD" (PDF). flyontario.com. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  46. "RITA | BTS | Transtats". Transtats.bts.gov. May 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  47. "LAX - Welcome to Los Angeles International Airport". Lawa.org. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  48. "ONTARIO: Airport passenger, cargo volumes climbed in 2015". Pe.com. January 26, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  49. Accident description for 43-48315 at the Aviation Safety Network
  50. Accident description for N3166 at the Aviation Safety Network
  51. Accident description for N6383 at the Aviation Safety Network
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