Galanter Urges Timeline on Airport

Seeking to hold airport officials’ feet to the fire, Councilwoman Ruth Galanter on Wednesday called for a deadline for plans to put Palmdale Regional Airport back in business.

Last week, Mayor Richard Riordan and federal aviation officials announced that passenger service would be restored and cargo facilities expanded at Palmdale as part of a strategy for handling the region’s soaring demand for air travel.

But Galanter, a leading opponent of expansion at Los Angeles International Airport, wants to make sure that Los Angeles and Palmdale officials follow through with their “cooperation agreement” by lining up money for the deal.

“We need to see a real investment plan for Palmdale Airport that actually puts teeth into last week’s announcement,” Galanter said. She proposed a six-month deadline for airport officials to produce a concrete plan.

The number of passengers using Southern California airports annually is expected to double, to 158 million, over the next 20 years. To keep the jammed check-in counters of the holiday season from becoming a year-round aggravation, Los Angeles agreed to help develop and aggressively market the Palmdale airport.

The desert airport could attract 7.3 million passengers annually by 2020, according to a study commissioned by Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that runs Palmdale, Ontario International and Los Angeles International airports. Palmdale would then be handling about 7% of the regional demand for domestic flights.

Galanter asked Los Angeles World Airports to present a timeline and budget for developing new facilities at Palmdale, as well as plans for an environmental review. She also requested plans for attracting airlines and passengers to both Palmdale and Ontario airports “on a scale equivalent to the marketing for LAX.”

The motion, seconded by Council President John Ferraro, heads to the full council on Oct. 13.