Ontario airport starts the clock on a fourth terminal

IE Business Daily: The Ontario International Airport Authority's board has authorized environmental work on ONT BOLD, the airport's long-range expansion plan. The centerpiece is a 650,000-square-foot Terminal 3 — three levels, a Federal Inspection Service facility for international passengers — slated to sit between Terminals 2 and 4, next to a new parking garage. Cost and a construction schedule haven't been set.

The environmental review alone could take 18 months under the California Environmental Quality Act, said board CEO Atif Elkadi, with federal review to follow. The airport handled 2.1 million passengers in the first four months of 2026, a slight year-over-year gain, and moves 65,000 to 85,000 tons of cargo a month — one of the larger cargo operations in North America.

Cargo is where Alan Wapner, the authority's president and Ontario's mayor pro tem, sees the most upside. The airport already generates $3.8 billion a year in economic activity and supports 27,800 jobs, per authority figures. ONT marks 10 years of local ownership on Nov. 1.