| LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the center of a rapidly developing freight movement system which includes the airport, two rail lines, four major freeways and an expanding network of freight forwarders. ONT is located less than 50 miles from Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors, and is ideally situated to be an airfreight center for Pacific Rim and European air cargo.
United Parcel Service (UPS) is ONT’s largest airfreight carrier, handling more than 70 percent of the airport’s cargo. In April 2001 UPS began four weekly flights to China using Boeing 747 cargo aircraft. This marks ONT’s first-ever direct flights to China, which is the Pacific Rim’s largest and fastest growing market. ONT is the west coast hub for all UPS air freight operations.
Other major freight carriers that serve ONT include Ameriflight, Arrow Air, Centurian Airlines, DHL (Airborne Express), Empire Airways, Evergreen Aviation, ExpressNet Airlines, Federal Express, Gulf and Caribbean Cargo, IFL Group, Kalitta Air, United Parcel Service and West Air. In 2007, ONT handled 532,865 tons of cargo.
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Hangar
A former Lockheed aircraft hangar at ONT was recently converted into a new facility for air cargo operations. The new air cargo facility accommodates up to three tenants. The project includes new office spaces, utilities to support the offices, a truck loading dock, and additional modifications such as roll-up doors in the existing hangar doors.
ONT’s cargo operations were conducted in the airport’s Chaffey Hangar, which is no longer adequate for ONT’s increasing cargo operations. When construction of the new air cargo facility was completed, tenants in the chaffey Hangar were relocated to the new facility.
Air Cargo Complex
Promoting cargo operations and the development of a new air cargo complex at ONT is consistent with Los Angeles World Airports’ goals to provide additional cargo capacity in the region to accommodate cargo demand that cannot be met by Los Angeles International Airport.
The Pacific Gateway Cargo Center will be located on underutilized land in the northwest section of the airport which includes the West End Cargo Parking area and a portion of the former Lockheed site. With cargo in the Southern California region expected to triple over the next 25 years, the 94-acre site provides a consolidated location for interlining, line-haul, forwarding, ground handling and many other cargo-related business models. ONT currently handles more than 500,000 tons of air freight each year (532,865 tons in 2007).
ONT’s position among the top 15 airports in North America and its location between three major freeways makes this airport a preferred location for companies active in the air-freight industry. With two runways in excess of 10,000 feet and a 24-hour operating environment, ONT has the potential to become a premiere international cargo gateway. For more information on the Pacific Gateway Cargo Center please visit
www.pacificgatewaycargo.com.
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