Vineyards and fields of wildflowers still flank Ontario International Airport. Few neighbors complain about noise. And, by comparison, Los Angeles International Airport handles 10 times more passengers.
But the opening today of a $269-million terminal complex signals the airport's larger ambitions.
For one, it serves the Inland Empire, home to the nation's fastest-growing counties: San Bernardino and Riverside. Regional planners predict the number of Southern California air passengers to double in the next 20 years.
And with expansion efforts facing opposition at LAX and in Orange County, Ontario is seen as a relief valve for growing demand.
Officials fighting plans to convert the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station into an international airport have long argued that Ontario can handle some of Orange County's demand for passenger and cargo service.
They point out that the Ontario expansion is generally supported by surrounding communities, in marked contrast to the highly controversial El Toro airport proposal. Why build an airport where it's not wanted, El Toro critics argue, when a nearby community is willing to take on additional air traffic?
Even its name, Ontario International, preaches hope. For now, the airport offers no flights outside the United States.
The two glass-and-steel terminals opening today, lined with limestone quarried from the Sea of Cortez, will nearly double the airport's capacity, to 10 million passengers a year. About 6 million travelers passed through in 1997; 8 million are expected by 2003.
With existing airports operating over capacity, transportation officials say Ontario's expansion is an important step in heading off gridlock at the four airports operated by the Los Angeles World Airports : Ontario, LAX, Van Nuys and Palmdale.
In fact, said LAWA executive director John Driscoll, "Ontario could become the third-busiest airport in California in 2020, after LAX and San Francisco." There is, however, a long way to go. LAX handles about 60 million passengers a year, and that number would double if a proposed expansion is approved.
Under Orange County's plans, El Toro would handle about 25 million passengers a year by 2020 while John Wayne Airport would handle about 9.5 million passengers.
Ontario will accommodate only part of the growing Southern California travel market, Driscoll said. "Every airport will have to grow."
