Ontario International Airport Garners Millions In Federal Funding

ONTARIO, CA — Ontario International Airport has been awarded a $10.81 million Federal Aviation Administration grant to enhance safety, efficiency and capacity at the growing facility, it was announced Monday.

The grant was part of the FAA's Airport Improvement Program, which provides funding to airports across the United States to support planning and development projects.

At ONT, the newly awarded funds will reconstruct more than 5,400 feet of paved taxiway on the airport’s south end and add 24 low-emission energy units to power aircraft while they are on the ground, according to airport officials.

The funding follows a series of major airfield and terminal projects completed at ONT in recent years, including a $90 million runway rehabilitation project completed in 2024, the largest of its kind in the airport’s history, and more than $7 million in federal funding for security and terminal upgrades, announced in late 2024.

The recent funding was announced by California’s two U.S. Senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff.

"We are grateful to the FAA and our federal representatives for recognizing the importance of Ontario International to the Southern California region and the nation’s aviation system," said Alan D. Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority Board of Commissioners. "This grant will allow us to build on our recent infrastructure improvements, maintain the highest levels of safety and efficiency, and prepare ONT for continued growth in passenger and cargo traffic."

Padilla said the new funding will help ONT to continue growing into a premier travel hub, connecting millions of Californians and visitors alike to the Inland Empire, the rest of the Golden State, and the world.

"This funding will also help modernize and decarbonize Ontario International to create a safer, lower-emission passenger experience," Padilla said.

Schiff said the federal funding will bring critical investments to the airport, while improving ONT safety and creating more jobs.

The airport began as a small airstrip in 1923 and has since grown into an international facility with two terminals and one of the longest runways in Southern California.