LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles has agreed to return control of LA/Ontario International Airport to an Ontario, Calif.-based local authority.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Ontario Mayor pro Tem Alan Wapner announced
"I have supported the transfer of ONT to local control since my first day in office and I am thrilled that we can stop litigation and focus on a partnership that expands Southern California's commitment to superior air travel," Garcetti said in a prepared statement.
Under the tentative agreement, which ends litigation between the cities, Ontario would pay Los Angeles $180 million over 10 years.
Wapner and officials from other nearby Inland Empire cities spent seven years trying to convince Los Angeles World Airport officials to cede control of the Ontario airport, also known by airport code ONT. The airport is in San Bernardino County about 40 miles east of Los Angeles.
LAWA, which also manages Los Angeles International Airport and Van Nuys Airport, has managed the Inland Empire airport since the 1960s.
Ontario filed a lawsuit seeking return of the airport in 2013 after talks broke down between Los Angeles officials and Ontario, also known by airport code ONT.
The cities will request that a jury trial scheduled to begin August 17 in Riverside County Superior Court be stayed.
The term sheet outlining the agreement now must be approved by the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners, Los Angeles City Council, Ontario City Council, the Ontario International Airport Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Once those four entities sign off, airport operations would controlled by the Ontario International Airport Authority, which was formed in August 2012 by the city of Ontario and the San Bernardino County to provide overall direction for the management, operations, development and marketing of ONT.
OIAA Commissioners are Wapner, who is the president, Ontario Council Member Jim W. Bowman, San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman, retired Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge and Orange County Business Council President and CEO Lucy Dunn.
Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports will be reimbursed to the extent needed to make the organizations whole for investments they have made in ONT, and the airport's current employees will enjoy job protection, according to officials.
A long form settlement agreement consistent with the initial term sheet will be prepared within 60 days. A formal approval process is expected to begin in October 2015, with the entire process, including FAA approval, expected to be completed within one year.
