Font ResizeJust five days before United Airlines is scheduled to drop the only commercial flights operating out of Palmdale Regional Airport, the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners on Monday ordered a study aimed at bolstering service there.
The last-ditch effort comes as the city of Palmdale prepares this month to take control of the airport from Los Angeles World Airports, which has struggled for more than four decades to attract flights to the beleaguered Antelope Valley facility.
"We have exhausted our possibilities, and we do not think there is a viable, near-term business plan for Palmdale airport," said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of LAWA, which also operates Los Angeles International, LA/Ontario International and Van Nuys airports.
After only 18 months of service, United Airlines is scheduled on Saturday to end its four daily flights to San Francisco. A total of eight airlines have attempted to launch service at Palmdale airport since 1971, only to pull out after brief, unsuccessful runs.
As a result, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich and Palmdale Mayor James Ledford have worked to wrest control of Palmdale airport from LAWA and place it under local authority beginning later this month.
Antonovich's office is also examining whether the county can take back control of about 17,000 acres of land surrounding Palmdale airport. The city of Los Angeles used eminent domain to take control of the
"The supervisor feels that it's long past the time for studies," said Norm Hickling, a deputy for Antonovich, who represents the Antelope Valley.
"The study should focus on how to return that land they took from the property owners," he said. "L.A. can't hold on to that property forever, and we're trying to find out if there's a time limit on how long they can keep it."
However, some airport commissioners on Monday appeared to be in denial about losing control of Palmdale's airport.
"We don't give up anything," Airport Commissioner Fernando Torres-Gil said. "The (county) Board of Supervisors might think we gave up the ultimate decision making on that airport, but we're in charge. We're ultimately responsible for what happens there."
LAWA currently leases the airport's terminals, taxiways and parking lot from the U.S. Air Force. For decades, Palmdale airport was hailed as a critical element in the airport agency's regional plan to shift flights from LAX to other Southern California facilities.
"I don't want to say that we can't make this work," Airport Commissioner Valeria Velasco said. "I want to hear how we can make it work, and then make it happen."
In a related move, the airport commission ordered an additional study examining whether to build a stop at Palmdale Regional Airport for the California High Speed Rail system. Supporters have said that more travelers would use Palmdale airport if sufficient ground transportation was readily available.
"If you're ever going to have regionalization, you need to have a way to get people to those points at a reasonable price," Airport Commissioner Joseph Aredas said.
