By Jordan Green
New FedEx Facility Opens in Southern California as Cargo Volume Soars
After two years of work, a new 251,000 square foot FedEx Express complex with nine wide-body aircraft gates, 14 feeder aircraft gates and 18 truck docks has opened at Ontario International Airport in Ontario, Calif. The airport is located about 35 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
The new space on the northwest side of Ontario International Airport is triple the size of the space FedEx previously occupied. The shipping giant previously had its operation on the airport’s south side.
The 30-year lease for the new space was approved in June 2018 by the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA). Under that agreement, the OIAA handled clearing the space for the new FedEx facility and the environmental impact report and analysis. FedEx took on constructing operational, maintenance and administrative facilities in addition to making infrastructure improvements.
Representatives from FedEx and the OIAA appeared excited about the opening of the new facility.
“The launch of operations from FedEx’s spectacular facility comes at a pivotal moment as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact lives and livelihoods in so many ways,” OIAA Chief Executive Officer Mark Thorpe said in a statement. “The global pandemic cast a bright light on supply chain participants as consumers hunkered down at home and relied on e-commerce shipments of vital household supplies, and we are proud to say Ontario has distinguished itself as a key component in the goods movement industry.”
“The Ontario International Airport Authority has been instrumental in supporting our vision for this major expansion,” Tim Wertner, Senior Vice President, Western Division, U.S. Operations for FedEx said in a statement regarding the new facility. “We appreciate the airport authority’s collaboration and look forward to this exciting new chapter operating in the Ontario market.”
The opening comes at time when cargo volume at Ontario International Airport is soaring. In October 2020, Ontario saw 81,834 tons of cargo. That is a 20.36% increase over the 67,994 tons of cargo the airport saw during October 2019. Cargo volume year to date is up 18.6% in 2020 over 2019, according to data from the airport.
FedEx competitor UPS also operates a hub at Ontario International. Between that operation and the newly expanded FedEx operation, Ontario International is likely to continue to see increases in cargo volume in the months ahead.
Jordan focuses his writing on innovations in commercial aviation, aviation history, and other interesting topics he feels are worthy of discussion in the community.