Regional airport to handle millions if...

The study, by the Hagler Bailly Services consulting firm of Arlington, Va., was commissioned by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), which owns and operates Palmdale Regional.

The airport has been closed since April 1998, when United Express ceased daily commuter operations at the facility, which is on land under the control of the U.S. Air Force at Plant 42.

Under an agreement between the Air Force and LAWA, 50 flights a day are allowed at the airport.

The goal of the study was to determine the airport's long-term, unconstrained potential without consideration of barriers. Among other things, the study assumed:

The construction of a new airline terminal at Palmdale Regional Airport.

The routing of a high-speed rail line through the city.

The improvement of existing roadways and construction of new ones to Santa Clarita, Bakersfield and Victorville.

The mitigation of all negative environmental impacts.

The growth in population as projected by agencies such as the Southern California Association of Governments.

Nancy Castles, communications director for LAWA, said the study was a draft version distributed for comment to the various agencies concerned with the development of Palmdale Regional Airport, such as the city of Palmdale, the county of Los Angeles and the U.S. Air Force.

After comment is obtained, the document probably will change, Castles said.

"Therefore, it is inappropriate to comment further" on its initial findings, she said.

At first glance, those findings "validate the plan we've been promoting for the airport," Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford said. "It shows Palmdale is on the right track."

That track is to reopen the airport and make it a regional facility alleviating a portion of the future load anticipated at Los Angeles International Airport, Ledford said.

The load is expected to increase from 60 million to 98 million air passengers annually by 2015.

If Palmdale were to serve 4 million people, it would be handling only 4% of the region's total domestic air-passenger service demand, the report showed.

Still, that service would be a boon to the economic development of Palmdale, Ledford said.

The use of Palmdale Regional would come without the noise and overcrowding problems associated with the expansion of existing airports in Burbank, Ontario and Irvine, he said.

A memorandum of understanding with LAWA - already being drawn up - "will be the next telling sign that will outline the improvements to this airport and the time line when those improvements can be expected," Ledford said.

That memorandum "should be available in the first part of September," he said.

A summary included in the Hagler Bailly study said its conclusions were based on all relevant agencies doing "everything possible to make Palmdale as accessible as possible."

Those conclusions did not take into account whether airlines would be amenable to using the airport or whether passengers would view it as a draw in relation to major business centers and tourist attractions.

The study concluded that, because of its relatively distant location, Palmdale's airport would have a difficult time competing with other regional facilities in the arena of cargo service.

It also concluded that the local workforce and existing hangar capacity would make Palmdale's airport attractive for maintenance work, but again it would have to compete with a number of decommissioned military air bases.

And "while a long shot," the potential for Palmdale to serve the growing charter air-service market should be explored, the study said.