LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORTS SEEKS EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR MANAGEMENT, OPERATION OF LA/ONTARIO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

            Los Angeles World Airports has issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the management and operation of LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT), located 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the Inland Empire.  Submissions are due by 4 p.m. on Feb. 28, 2011.  The EOI is available at   www.labavn.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=contract.doc_list&contractid=10842&recordid=10842&page=0&CFID=740034&CFTOKEN=32975887 .

            The EOI is intended to solicit information for the potential development of a Request for Qualifications or Request for Proposals.  It is NOT a Request for Qualifications or Proposals.

            Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), the City department that owns and operates ONT, seeks to increase the competitiveness and efficiency of the airport and is, therefore, evaluating the feasibility of and options for contracting management and operation of ONT through a long-term lease and management agreement.  Before beginning any formal solicitation process, LAWA is seeking Expressions of Interest from parties qualified to manage and operate ONT to gain input that would guide any future selection process and the form of the lease and management agreement.  This EOI process does not trigger a binding competitive process and will not, without future steps initiated by LAWA, result in the selection of a manager-operator for ONT.  Regardless of the process that may successfully lead to a manager-operator agreement, the City of Los Angeles and LAWA expect to retain full ownership interest in ONT.

            Through the EOI submissions, interested parties are encouraged to provide comments and ideas regarding how LAWA can best meet the following objectives:

(1)        Return ONT to pre-2008 passenger traffic trends and increase ONT’s

            share of air traffic in the Los Angeles region;

(2)        Cost effectively market ONT to airlines, passengers and air cargo companies;

(3)        Operate ONT more efficiently; and

(4)        Balance the short-term improvement initiatives currently underway at ONT

            while maintaining ONT’s long-term capacity for growth.

            While LAWA is particularly interested in EOI submissions from parties qualified to operate and manage ONT, LAWA also encourages any party interested in the competitiveness of ONT to respond to the EOI, even if they do not seek, on their own, to become the ONT manager-operator.

LA/Ontario International Airport

            LA/Ontario International Airport is a medium-hub, full-service airport with commercial jet service to many major cities in the United States.  ONT also is served by airlines providing international service to Mexico.  In Fiscal Year 2010, ending June 30, 2010, ONT served 4.8 million passengers.  As of Oct. 1, 2010, 18 scheduled and 53 unscheduled passenger and cargo carriers served ONT.