Chinese travelers could help Ontario airport grow

The City of Ontario has filed a legal claim to gain control over the L.A./Ontario International Airport. Some Inland Empire leaders this week criticized a plan by Los Angeles airport commissioners to increase the number of passengers at the Ontario airport. (L.A./ Ontario International Airport. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

"The first thing I have to do is explain where Ontario airport is [to Chinese airlines] and why we're a better place to fly in their future plans."

Ontario, California, is more than 50 miles east of LAX and has its own airport. Most international travelers choose LAX, however, since it's the most well-known option.

But local officials are looking to China to boost traffic to Ontario's runways by enticing Chinese airlines and businesses to land there.

"Surrounding the Ontario airport is a majority of Asian-Americans living here," says Curt Hagman, San Bernardino County supervisor and commission of the Ontario International Airport Authority. "For them, it's closer to Ontario's airport than Los Angeles' airport."

Ontario and San Bernardino County are appealing to Chinese businesses, too, he says, because of the availability of land to develop for warehouses, factories, neighborhoods and more.

But he needs to make sure that he maps out the Inland Empire's proximity to Los Angeles.

"The first thing I have to do is explain where Ontario airport is and why we're a better place to fly in their future plans," says Hagman.

Take Two talks with Hagman for more about the potential benefits in having the airport being a gateway to Asia.