After years of rapid passenger growth, Ontario International Airport is embarking on a physical expansion plan that would add a new terminal, a multi-story parking facility, a car rental support facility and other improvements.
The Ontario International Airport Authority announced the expansion plan on May 8 as the airport is marking its 10th anniversary of a return to local control. For the 50-year period ending in 2016, Los Angeles World Airports – which runs Los Angeles International Airport – also ran the Ontario airport.
Since then, the airport has seen rapid growth in passengers. Last year, 7.1 million passengers went through its gates, an increase of 1.5 million, or 27%, from the 5.6 million in pre-pandemic 2019. For the period 2018 through 2022, Global Traveler magazine ranked the airport the fastest growing in the nation.
Despite this growth, there had been no significant addition of terminal space since Terminals 2 and 4 opened in 1998. The last major upgrade to car rental facilities occurred the following year and the last major parking lot addition came in 2002. The announcement noted that during peak travel periods, demand exceeds the capacity of the existing terminals.
Plans to modernize
Under the plan, terminals two and four will be modernized and a new three-story 650,000-square-foot terminal three will be built in between those projects.
The plan also calls for a six-story parking structure on the north side of the terminal complex, along with a car rental support facility. Numerous taxiway and road improvements are also part of the plan, along with a new federal inspection facility and a new central utility plant.
Details must still be flushed out, including the exact size of the parking structure and car rental support facility, the overall cost and timetables. On the time front, the airport authority indicated that all components of its plan would be completed in 10 years.
“We’re investing in infrastructure that strengthens our role as a major passenger gateway and global supply chain hub, while maintaining the ease and efficiency travelers value,” Curt Hagman, vice president of the Ontario International Airport Authority and a San Bernardino County Supervisor, said in the announcement.
