The city of Walnut plans to offer Ontario its support as the San Bernardino County community pushes to take over control of the airport there.

The Walnut City Council Wednesday night voted 5-0 in favor of a resolution backing Ontario’s effort to get local control of the LA/Ontario International Airport.  Walnut joins the cities of Pomona, Long Beach, and Inglewood, as well as the Southern California Association of Governments. 

The Industry City Council will consider a similar resolution this morning

Ontario officials have offered Los Angeles a $250 million package, including an initial $50 million payment, to gain transfer control of transfer title and operations of the airport.  Los Angeles World Airports operates Ontario Airport under a joint agreement signed in 1967.

“Under local control, ONT will simultaneously reduce its cost structure and increase its marketing, advertising and promotion spending to provide the airport capacity Southern California needs in the long term to protect its tourism economy,” officials wrote in the airport recovery plan.

Similar sized airports in Burbank, Orange County, Long Beach, and Palm Springs all are operated locally.  Ontario officials have said local control would enable them to run the airport more cost effectively.

In the past four years, the Ontario Airport has lost more than a third of its passenger traffic, which has cost the Inland Empire region $500 million annually and 9,250 jobs, according to officials.  The number of domestic and non-stop flights offered at the airport has dropped almost 57 percent since 2007. 

Assemblyman Curt Hagman (R-Chino Hills), said during a legislative update to the Walnut City Council said that state lawmakers are pursuing legislation to help Ontario gain control of the airport.

“LAX is upside down, so it is burying its expenses and personnel in the Ontario International Airport,” he said.  “Ontario on the books is losing money every month, but is because of the way LA is handling that airport. “

The Ontario Airport also has the highest cost per in-plane- passenger than any other facility of similar size in the nation, officials said, adding that the result has been nearly two million travelers living in the region flying out of LAX instead.