AIRPORT OFFICIALS GO FOR CARGO; PLANNED PALMDALE FREIGHT AREA COULD INCREASE BUSINESS.

Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer

Los Angeles officials are planning to build a $1 million cargo area for aircraft at the Palmdale Regional Airport, opening up the possibility of attracting freight-hauling operations to the Antelope Valley.

The Los Angeles Department of World Airports is about halfway through the design of the area, known as a ramp. Department officials hope to start construction this fall or early winter. Construction is expected to take nine months.

``Before we can stir up interest in cargo operations we need to get some concrete on the ground,'' said airports department spokesman Scott Read.

The ramp will accommodate up to two aircraft the size of a DC-9 or Boeing 727. It will be built just southeast of the department's existing passenger terminal at Air Force Plant 42.

``This is a commitment that was made some time ago,'' Read said. ``The airport has facilities for passengers, but not for cargo.''

The Palmdale Regional Airport has a 9,000-square-foot terminal. Under a 1989 agreement, the airports department can conduct up to 400 flights a day using Air Force Plant 42 runways.

Since the signing of the agreement there has been intermittent talk of trying to improve the airport to handle freight operations. In the last two years, the city of Palmdale has made a push to start improvements, Mayor Jim Ledford said.

``The cargo ramp opens up another asset to the airport,'' he said. ``Because there hasn't been a lot done to the airport, it's not in the position to be the alternative (to Los Angeles International Airport) everybody thinks it is. We need to get facilities ready for that.''

Palmdale Councilman David Myers said the addition of the ramp will make the airport more attractive to passenger airlines, noting that 50 percent of the nation's air cargo travels on passenger aircraft.

``Yes, it adds another arrow to our quiver for economic development, but more importantly it signals a commitment by the airports department to develop the Palmdale Regional Airport,'' Myers said.

Officials from both Los Angeles and the Antelope Valley see a potential for cargo flights at the Palmdale Regional Airport, providing some relief for Los Angeles International Airport.

The two sides part ways over the Palmdale airport use when it comes to passenger travel. Antelope Valley leaders believe Los Angeles should include the Palmdale airport in its plans for handling passenger travel in the coming century.

Antelope Valley officials want to get the maximum use of the existing airport and then move on to establish a full-fledged airport on 17,750 acres the city of Los Angeles owns to the east of Plant 42. Los Angeles spent $100 million over 25 years to acquire the property.

Los Angeles leaders, with the exception of Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, want to focus on expanding Los Angeles International Airport. Los Angeles officials argue the Palmdale airport is too distant to be an effective alternative.

Since the signing of the joint-use agreement with the Air Force, passenger airlines have tried but failed to establish a foothold in Palmdale.