$500,000 OKd for Palmdale Airport Work
The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved a $500,000 grant for the improvement of cargo facilities at Palmdale Regional Airport, according to a spokesman for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
The money is earmarked for improved taxiways and the construction of a cargo ramp, which would be capable of simultaneously accommodating two 747 jets.
Construction would not begin until the federal government pitches in another $1.9 million for the $2.7-million project, said Nancy Castles, a Los Angeles World Airports spokeswoman. The airport authority is expected to fund the rest of the project.
Castles said the city also wants to ensure that strings attached to the federal grant will not interfere with the city’s freedom to use airport revenues.
Airport officials expect a dramatic increase in demand for airport services in Southern California. The city-owned airport currently receives no cargo or passenger planes.
SR Technics, a member company of SAirGroup, the parent of SwissAir, recently introduced a major airplane maintenance facility in Palmdale, creating 150 to 200 new jobs, with thousands more expected, Castles said.
The airport authority recently renovated the airport’s vacant 9,000-square-foot terminal, in hopes of attracting cargo and passenger airlines.
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