Representatives of San Bernardino International Airport briefed the council on operations and economic-development work at the city’s airport.

The airport presenter outlined a workforce pipeline that includes a short training track to obtain commercial drone-pilot certification and partnerships with county schools to provide low-cost training for students. The airport official said the program can yield entry-level opportunities and noted projected annual salaries for full-time aviation careers.

The airport also described existing cargo and tenant activity at SBD — citing UPS/FedEx and other logistics facilities in Southern California — and highlighted infrastructure investments including about 130 EV chargers already installed at airport facilities. Staff said the airport has applied for grants to support UAS (unmanned aerial systems) integration and is pursuing additional private-public partnerships.

Councilmembers asked about passenger growth and the potential for a direct rail connection; staff said conceptual alignment work has been discussed with regional transit agencies and noted ongoing studies to evaluate direct links to the airport.

The airport official closed by inviting continued collaboration with the city and community organizations to expand workforce opportunities and to accelerate projects that would increase commercial activity at SBD.