San Bernardino County could soon reclaim control of Ontario International Airport

San Bernardino County and the city of Ontario could reclaim control of Ontario International Airport under legislation that passed the House by a voice vote Tuesday afternoon.

The legislation, H.R. 4369, allows some of the $2-per-passenger facility charge collected at the Ontario airport to be used at Los Angeles International Airport.

A stipulation of Los Angeles World Airports' agreement to transfer Ontario International Airport to San Bernardino County and the city of Ontario last August was that the Ontario airport would reimburse LAX for millions in fees used to pay for new terminals in the 1990s. When both airports were owned by Los Angeles World Airports, the fees could be used that way.

The settlement agreement calls for $120 million in passenger facility charges collected at Ontario to go to LAX over the next 10 years. However, that isn't allowed under current law.

The bill is just another step for the Inland Empire as it faces the substantial challenge of reviving the struggling facility that has lost more than a third of its passengers since 2007 .

The bill's lead sponsor, Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona), called the bill one of his highest priorities.

“Today is a great day for the Inland Empire and the future of air travel for our region,” he said in a statement.

The California members who sponsored the bill said local control of the airport is better for the community.

“Ontario International Airport is a major economic engine for our region in both trade and tourism, and giving local authorities control of the airport better allows them to meet the growing demand in San Bernardino County,” Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) said.

Rep. Mark Takano (D-Riverside) said in a statement that millions of passengers travel to LAX or other regional airports, and the local community is missing out on that money.

“As the Inland Empire continues to grow in population, the Ontario International Airport can be a vital economic resource to our region with the potential to serve 30 million passengers annually," he said.

California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer have filed similar legislation in the Senate.