Ontario International Airport (ONT) announced this week it will honor a major influencer in the airport’s return to local ownership by naming its international terminal after U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
The Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) Board of Commissioners approved the official naming of both its current Federal Inspection Station (FIS) and future terminal the Diane Feinstein International Terminal. A formal dedication for the new name will take place this fall.
“We are honored to dedicate the current and future international facilities to Sen. Feinstein, whose years of support and advocacy were so critical in ONT’s return to local ownership. She understood the importance of this airport not only to this community, but to air travel across Southern California and beyond. We are grateful for her work in bringing all sides together to ensure that Ontario International be returned to the community and region it serves,” said Alan Wapner, president of the OIAA Board and mayor pro Tem for the City of Ontario. “With her many years of service to our country, this is a very deserving honor.”
Feinstein helped bring together leaders from California’s Inland Empire and Los Angeles following local concerns over a sharp decline in flights to ONT while under the jurisdiction of Los Angeles World Airports. In 2015, an agreement was reached to transfer ownership back to Ontario and as a U.S. Senator, Feinstein later introduced legislation allowing that transfer to happen.
Since ONT’s official return to local ownership, the airport has seen passenger volumes increased 33 percent.
