PALMDALE AIRPORT PLAN ADVANCES.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

If the folks who run LAX have their way, the world will soon be welcoming passenger traffic at PMD under an agreement approved on Tuesday by the Los Angeles Airport Commission.

PMD is the acronym being given to Palmdale Regional Airport under the contract calling for the Los Angeles World Airports department to develop and aggressively market the Antelope Valley facility to ease some of the congestion at Los Angeles International Airport.

``This agreement is the result of the unprecedented cooperation and perseverance of many of us who believe the challenge of Palmdale Regional Airport can and will be met,'' said John Agoglia, president of the Los Angeles Airport Commission.

Under the agreement with the City of Palmdale, the city airports department will work to develop new and larger passenger and cargo facilities at PMD and pursue a high-speed rail link between Palmdale and Los Angeles.

Los Angeles also will provide right-of-way for a Route 138 bypass, which could be built using some $28 million in federal, state and local funds. And Los Angeles will promote use of the facility by cargo and passenger carriers.

Los Angeles and Palmdale officials announced plans on Oct. 1 to begin to develop PMD as part of a regional approach to handling future airport needs.

``With the City of Palmdale, we are putting a new piece of the regional transportation solution into place,'' LAWA General Manager Lydia Kennard said. ``Palmdale Airport can begin to take its rightful place in a regional aviation system that continues to fuel tremendous economic growth and vitality in Southern California.''

Development at Palmdale is only one piece of the transportation puzzle being put together by local officials, who also plan on expanding LAX coupled with a recent $270 million expansion at Ontario International Airport.

One of the key factors in the agreement is the marketing segment, which will be designed to appeal to commercial airlines - including commuter and air cargo carriers - to make use of the Palmdale facility once the expansion is complete. The first step calls for completing a cargo ramp next year.