Airport Commission Authorizes Contract Negotiation for Ontario Airport Master Plan.

News & Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 5, 2002

The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners today authorized Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) staff to negotiate a contract with HNTB Architects Engineers Planners, Los Angeles, to develop a master plan for Ontario International Airport (ONT) covering a 25-year planning horizon.

"This action demonstrates LAWA's commitment to implement Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn's campaign pledge to redistribute the region's aviation demand from Los Angeles International Airport and to find a regional approach to addressing Southern California's air transportation demand," said Jim Ritchie, LAWA deputy executive director for long-range planning. He added, "It is important that LAWA's other commercial airports at Ontario and Palmdale are fully utilized for passenger and cargo service."

Aviation industry forecasters show that the Southern California region's air service demand will reach upwards of 167 million annual passengers and 9.5 million annual tons of cargo by 2025.

"To preserve the economic benefits of regional tourism and trade," said Ritchie, "all airports in the region must be prepared to take on a larger share of the passenger and cargo volume in the future."

Consulting services for developing the ONT Master Plan include:

-- Development of planning goals and objectives

-- An inventory and analysis of existing facilities, land, resources, capacity
and conditions

-- An analysis of demand in a regional context and development of forecasts of
passenger, cargo and operations demand for ONT

-- Interpretation of forecasts into facility requirements to serve demand

-- Development of alternative conceptual plans for analysis and selection of a
proposed plan

-- Ground access modeling and analysis and development of a transportation
improvement program

-- An Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) as
necessary for the proposed plan and alternatives and the development of
environmental mitigation plans

-- Economic Impact Analysis for the proposed plan and alternatives

-- A program for phased implementation of the plan and a financial plan for
funding improvements

-- A community and stakeholder involvement program

Ontario International Airport is located 40 miles east of Los Angeles and is owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a department of the City of Los Angeles, which also owns and operates Los Angeles International, Palmdale Regional and Van Nuys Airports.