Ontario, Ca Leads Inland Empire's Global Trade Activity.. (California Trader 071006)

Isn't this great that we live on the West Coast and Ontario, with the Airport, and not any Sea Ports for another 50-60 miles places the Inland Empire in the right spot to get the Commercial Commerce out to the world. Now that makes you wonder, that the City Leaders or Administrator's saw this when the Airforce Base Closed in San Bernardino and they wanted to open a Commercial Airport, that would be an International Airport just like Ontario. But the FAA didn't see it that way. The FAA felt that with Ontario International Airport was just to close to that of San Bernardino where they would be operating another International Airport? I can see why the FAA felt the way that they did, and made them a PX Airport, in other words the use of packages, but Ontario had already got the contract for United Parcal Service and Fedex was also working with Terminals, so San Bernardino sits and Waits. However there is and might be a job for the San Bernardino Airport and that is to take over the job for that of the Rialto Airport which will or might be closing. Even though it is up to this writer that the Rialto airport was closed under false pretenses by a possible crooked Congressmen, that uses his position in the U.S. Congress to get bids on jobs for his private business. Miller should be careful it is all catching up to him as it is in the news papers more and more as of late.

BSRanch

Ontario Leads Inland Empire’s Global Trade Activity

New PIERS data cites city’s strategic location, investment, and air cargo operations

ONTARIO - 07/10/06 - A new report released by the City of Ontario in Southern California's Inland Empire indicates that international trade is having a profound impact on the regional economy.

Located 36 miles east of Los Angeles and positioned within the hub of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, the city is seen as "economic engine" of one of the fastest growing regions in the US, according the report based on data compiled by the Port Export Reporting Service (PIERS).

Total two-way trade in 2004 for the region was valued at $8.1 billion or 10.6% of the Inland Empire's total personal income with exports represented $3 billion with imports representing $5.1 billion, it said.

The city led the region's activity with $2.8 billion in total 2004 two-way trade or 38% of the Inland Empire's total.

From 2000 to 2004 total trade for the city increased 98% in real terms with exports growing at a rate of 145% and imports growing at a rate of 92%.

LA Ontario International Airport (ONT) contributed significantly to Ontario's international trade growth with ONT already ranked as the 15th busiest cargo airport in the nation.

It's expected that in 15 years ONT's cargo operations will match that at Los Angeles International Airport.

In 2003, the airport was listed among six of the best cargo airports in the world by Airport World magazine, while Forbes ranked it as one of the five best alternate airports in the US.

Significant factors driving the expected increase include the selection of ONT by UPS as one of five new regional heavy freight hubs, as well as increasing its operating rights to China further augmenting the UPS China Express service.

Aero Ontario, LLC, a division of Aeroterm of Annapolis, Maryland, is investing $142.9 million in an approximately 100-acre international air cargo center that will break ground later this year.

The 110-acre facilty - dubbed the Pacific Gateway Cargo Center - will be able to accommodate a wide range of air cargo in close proximity to the airport and the region's extensive highway and rail network.

In May 2005, the city began work on a $50 million project to refurbish the westerly 10,200 feet of the airport's main runway in cooperation with Los Angeles World Airports, which manages operations at ONT.

When completed this summer, the runway project will permit the airport to handle the Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial aircraft that's expected to enter service later this year.

According to the report, total two-way trade for the Inland Empire increased 47% in real terms over the period 2000 to 2004 with exports growing at a much faster rate than imports.

From 2000-2004, it said, exports increased 142% in real terms, while imports recorded a real growth rate of only 20%.

Raw materials represent a significant portion of the Inland Empire's export growth over the past several years, with commodities such as scrap metal and fabric ranking as the region's top export goods.

Six out of the Inland Empire's top 10 trading partners are located in Asia, representing 81% of total trade by vessel, while China ranks as the region's number one trading partner.

According to the report, data from the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics note that exports and imports involving Canada and Mexico are primarily handled via truck and rail and thus the importance economic importance of these countries "is likely underestimated."

While the PIERS data is based primarily on sea-borne freight, it was extrapolated out to estimate freight movement from train, truck, and air moves.