ONT manager sought by panel

LAWA, which operates ONT, will accept submissions through February from the private sector and other interested parties about managing the airport.

The Board of Airport Commissioners approved the process at its Dec. 20 meeting.

The following day, Ontario city officials announced they had given their city manager the option to sue LAWA over violation of the joint powers agreement.

On Monday, Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of LAWA, provided the commissioners with a brief update which announced that the expressions of interest packets were released to the public last week.

"The purpose of this is to gather information from other folks," she said.

For more than a year Ontario officials have said local control would better address the downward trend in air traffic at ONT and have been pushing to regain control of the ailing airport. More recently, Ontario officials have been in negotiations with city of Los Angeles and LAWA to return control to Ontario.

The expressions of interest packets ask parties how they might be able to:

• Return ONT to pre-2008 passenger traffic trends and increase ONT's share of air traffic in the Los Angeles region;
• Effectively market ONT to airlines, passengers and air cargo companies;
• Operate ONT more efficiently and;
• Balance the short-term improvement initiatives currently under way at ONT while maintaining ONT's long-term capacity for growth.

Commissioner Fernando Gil-Torres on Monday reiterated his position that the expressions of interest process did not signify the end of discussions between LAWA and ONT.

"We are partners with Ontario. We want to work this out," he said.

Gil-Torres said the two agencies have "a difference of opinion" about why air traffic has fallen at Ontario but "we are partners, we are friends."

Newly named board president Michael Lawson echoed Gil-Torres' sentiments: "There is no mal-intent," he said.

On Monday afternoon, Ontario Councilman Alan Wapner said he was pleased to hear the tone of the commissioners' comments.

"We wanted to make sure the (expressions of interest packets) did not impede or deter us from continuing to seek control of the operation of the airport," he said.

But the city's action to include possible litigation in its effort should not be taken as a sign of hostility, Wapner said.

"We were voicing our opinions," he said. "We will exercise all options. Certainly, we hope it doesn't get to that point."

At the previous meeting, Lawson was the only commissioner to say he would prefer LAWA consider the idea of selling ONT.