New investments bring jobs and prosperity to multiple communities in San Bernardino County.
Airport-driven economic development is not just a desired outcome in San Bernardino County in Southern California; it is ingrained into the strategy and mission of those who lead the airports in this Inland Empire jurisdiction of 2.18 million people.
To understand just exactly how important this vision is for the county, all you have to do is look at the mission statement for Ontario International Airport, the busiest airport in the region: “To boldly seize every opportunity to connect the Inland Empire to the world.”
To be “Bernardino” means to be “as bold as a bear.” It is written into the county’s name and character. Atif Elkadi, CEO of Ontario International Airport (ONT), says his airport is fulfilling this mission in multiple ways. ONT generates an annual economic impact of $3.8 billion and creates 28,000 jobs.
“Since our return to local ownership on November 1, 2016, we have been steadily growing our air passenger service and our air cargo service,” says Elkadi. “As of this month, we are up 75% in total passengers served from 2016, serving over 7 million passengers in 2024. That is 10.2% more than 2023. We recently achieved 45 consecutive months of year-over-year growth. We have added direct flights to Nashville, Atlanta and other major cities.”
Business leaders are taking note. ONT ranks No. 10 in North America in annual air cargo. UPS, Amazon and FedEx maintain significant operations at ONT, and each is growing.
“You can’t overstate the impact of local ownership,” Elkadi says. “We’ve been able to restore ONT’s role as a Southern California gateway. Our commitment is unwavering. We are determined to create an experience unlike any other in Southern California. We’ve been able to add flights and service, invest millions of dollars in restaurants and amenities, and register flyers for Global Entry.”
Ontario passengers used to have to drive to LAX or other airports to sign up. Now they can join Global Entry at ONT. “Something that simple has really made a difference,” says Elkadi.
Elkadi is just as intent on expanding business support at ONT. “We executed a 55-year ground lease in 2024 to develop a 200-acre site directly across the street from the airport,” he notes. “A master-planned logistics park is going in there. That has amplified our role. Around $17.8 billion a year in economic activity is generated through the logistics industry of the Inland Empire. We want to make sure it keeps growing.”
He adds that “our outlook mirrors that of the region. This area keeps offering new things — and we do too. We’re offering flights from Ontario to Baltimore for the first time through Southwest Airlines. With our growing popularity, we’re projected to reach 35 million passengers by 2050.”
ONT is far from alone in increasing air service and economic impact. In fact, throughout San Bernardino County, ONT has plenty of company. It starts with San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) in the City of San Bernardino and extends all the way up Interstate 15 to Victorville in the High Desert and beyond.
“We’ve been able to restore ONT’s role as a Southern California gateway. Our commitment is unwavering.”
— Atif Elkadi, CEO, Ontario International Airport
Most Affordable Place to Fly
Mike Burrows, CEO of SBD, presides over an airport that was home to Norton Air Force Base for 52 years until it was shut down in 1994 as part of the Base Realignment and Closure operation of the U.S. Department of Defense. Today, SBD serves commercial air passengers through Breeze Airways and provides one of the most robust air cargo operations in the country.
“Last year, we had over 18,100 direct jobs producing over $4.8 billion in economic impact,” says Burrows. “That is up from the 4,000 jobs we had in 2020. We are ranked No. 25 in the country in air cargo, and in 2022, we were named the most affordable airport in the nation by the U.S. Department of Transportation.” Passengers at SBD pay, on average, just $98.03 per fare.
Burrows adds that “we pride ourselves on access and convenience to Southern California. We retain the convenience of a hometown airport. When you’re here, you feel at home. For example, it costs just $5 a day to park your car at our domestic terminal. We have not changed our fee since day one. It is a way to say ‘thank you’ to our customers and enhance your curb-to-gate experience. And our parking is covered. You are literally across the street from the terminal. The rental car counter is only 100 yards away. We are wired that way, and that formula has worked well for us since we launched domestic air service in 2022. We focus on trying to right-size the product to the customer.”
Breeze offers direct flights to San Francisco and Provo, Utah, and a service called “Breeze-Through” to Salt Lake City. The real business of SBD, though, is found in the cargo hold.
“The cargo story is pretty special,” Burrows says. “We’ve always had itinerant cargo. UPS put us on the map in 2017 when they began operating here. FedEx followed in 2018, and Amazon Air followed that in 2021. As these companies enjoy success, we enjoy success. Each has incrementally expanded operations. They have room to grow.”
SBD serves as the SoCal hub for Amazon Air, while UPS and FedEx continue to expand their network at the airport. SBD serves both wide-body and narrow-body aircraft, including the 737, 747, 767 and A330. “Longer runways enable this,” notes Burrows. “We made strategic investments in the mid-2000s. Today, our 10,001-foot runway can handle the world’s largest aircraft, and it does.”
Photo courtesy of SBD
Expansion plans include growing the international freight forwarding business, says Burrows. “We are proud to have a four-gate facility. We are master planned to go up to 10 gates. We try to think ahead the best we can.”
City Airports Play Key Roles
Brett Godown, director of airports for the county’s airport system, presides over a growing network of air service. As the countywide administrator for the municipal airfields, Godown oversees operations at the smaller city airports in Apple Valley, Baker, Barstow-Daggett, Chino, Needles and Twentynine Palms.
The county recently released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the development of 300 acres of vacant land at Chino Airport in conjunction with Jones Lang LaSalle, Inc. (JLL). This includes 150 acres on the south side of Chino Airport. The goal is to recruit more aeronautical business.
“We have built up a community on the south side of the airport,” says Godown. “There will be multiplier and spillover effects for the community. There will be alignment with aeronautical needs at the airport and FAA requirements. We are excited to do this.”
Godown adds that “the development will benefit everyone around the airport. Southern California Edison had to bring large amounts of utilities to the site. Other utilities will be improved on site too. They are expanding Merrill Avenue on the north side of the airport. It will become four lanes in each direction. This improves amenities for everyone in the community. As we develop Chino Airport, this community becomes more competitive regionally. People will want to move here because of that asset; and businesses are attracted to these areas.”
Countywide, the six airports support 250,000 “operations” or flights, says Godown. “Cargo is on the rise at Chino. We have just-in-time deliveries from the Port of Los Angeles to Detroit. One of our operators charters these flights.”
Photo courtesy of ONT
Barstow-Daggett, Twentynine Palms and Chino are all former military air bases. Having the six municipal airports helps with travel across a county of 20,105 square miles. “San Bernardino County is the largest county by land mass in the country,” notes Godown. “It is literally a four-hour drive across the county. Needles is on the Arizona border. Baker is in the middle of Barstow and the state line.” Each plays a role in supporting county needs.
Godown adds that the county is “looking at other economic growth opportunities on vacant land at the desert airports. We are looking at renewable energy possibilities at Barstow and Apple Valley. We will soon do a strategic plan for the entire county airport system. There is a lot going on here in the next year.”
High Impact in the High Desert
Speaking of aerial growth blooming in the desert, Victorville is sprouting wings too. The Southern California Logistics Airport there is enjoying something of a renaissance. The old George Air Force Base is now the largest employment center in Victor Valley with more than 4,500 jobs at 62 businesses including Fortune 500 firms like Boeing and GE Aviation.
“With on-airport and off-airport development, SCLA serves manufacturing, warehousing, aviation and aerospace companies in one location,” says Sue Jones, public information officer for the City of Victorville. “SCLA’s on-airport operations cater to the entire aircraft lifecycle including flight testing and aircraft maintenance, painting, recycling and asset management. Currently, 99% of the tenantable space on the airport is occupied.”
Off airport, industrial development is taking off at even greater velocity. As of December 2024, some 7 million sq. ft. of industrial space have been built at SCLA for manufacturing and warehousing operations at firms like Keurig Dr. Pepper, Amazon, Plastipak, Mars and Graco.
The biggest burst of activity occurred in 2022 when 2.8 million sq. ft. of industrial space was built, including a new Amazon fulfillment center, two warehouses for Iron Mountain and a warehouse for Mars Petcare.
Looking ahead, Prologis is developing a 1.3-million-sq.-ft. facility for Goodyear Tire just north of Amazon, and Covington is set to begin construction on the first of three large industrial buildings on Parcel J where the old golf course was located. Upon completion, this project will feature 2.5 million sq. ft. of new space.
This Investment Profile was prepared under the auspices of San Bernardino County. For more information, contact the County’s Economic Development Department at 909-387-4460. On the web, go to www.SelectSBCounty.com.
