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Atif Elkadi began working in the aviation industry almost by accident. In mid-2008, he moved with his family to Dubai, ready to take on the role of brand manager for a theme park company.
Then the global financial crisis hit.
Fortunately for Elkadi, he was able to pivot into airports, something that still surprises him.
“I never thought I would ever work in an airport,” he admits, revealing that his experience until that point had mostly been in advertising.
His skills turned out to be transferable, however, and he worked at Dubai Airports for the next four years before deciding it was time to return to the United States. Another four years at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport followed, before Elkadi spotted an opening at Ontario International Airport (ONT).
“I grew up in Northern California and I always knew I wanted to come back to California at some point,” says Elkadi, now CEO at ONT.
From the moment Elkadi stepped into the role of CEO, he could appreciate the strong company culture.
“The first thing I noticed was the pride and the commitment from the community for the airport and for its growth. It’s powerful,” he says.
“For me, it was like, ‘This is exactly where I want to raise my family. This is where I want to be. I want to be a part of this.’”
He acknowledges that part of this comes down to the attitude of the board and its willingness to encourage new ideas. And under the slogan ‘So Cal. So Easy.’, ONT hopes to showcase its focus on convenience, accessibility and top-tier customer service.
With an emphasis on ensuring passengers can move from curbside to gate as quickly and enjoyably as possible, Elkadi wants to keep a human touch across the experience.
“We really serve one of the fastest-growing regions in the country,” he points out. “Our area, called the ‘Inland Empire’, is projected to add about a million people over the next 20–25 years. And that growth, coupled with a very diverse economy, really positions us as both a community hub and a global gateway.”
After returning to local ownership in 2016, airport governance is now guided by a board deeply invested in the region’s future, focusing on the needs of the local community.
As Elkadi says, “We are an airport for the community, and that’s what we’re here for.”
That community connection has also driven the airport’s commitment to sustainability.
“In California, sustainability is a very popular word,” Elkadi explains.
As such, sustainability isn’t an empty buzzword, but a core part of its operations. Sustainability considerations are discussed in virtually every area of the airport, becoming an integral factor when planning everything from power supplies to EV infrastructure.
At ONT, Elkadi fosters a workplace rooted in service, inclusion and innovation, where all ideas and people are welcome.
“There’s no playbook for culture,” he says. “It’s about being genuine and authentic.”
Reflecting on the diversity of the local community, the airport’s workforce comes together to bring perspectives that keep it from falling behind competitors and missing out on diverse viewpoints.
“We have a lot of different ideas, a lot of people bringing different things to the table, and it really allows us to meet our guests, our partners with empathy, with competency and creativity,” he adds.
Elkadi reveals that collaboration with airlines and cargo partners to reduce emissions has resulted in ONT expanding its infrastructure for EV charging and investing in electric trucks.
“We use a lot of recycled material in our runway projects, as well as having advanced stormwater systems that recharge the groundwater. We also offer support for sustainable aviation fuel adoption and investment in greener infrastructure,” he notes.
A central challenge in achieving sustainability goals is having the right support infrastructure in place from a power perspective. But thanks to long-standing partnerships with airports in California around green initiatives, real environmental benefits are possible.
“I would say all of us who lead airports in California probably have the biggest challenge in the country because in California, the demands are a little bit more than in other states. So we work together to ensure we can do that,” he explains.
Elkadi meets quarterly with airport directors and CEOs across California to exchange ideas and best practices.
“These are really, really smart and talented people. From the CEO of Los Angeles International Airport to the CEO of San Diego International Airport, they all have this vast experience that I love to tap into and pick their brain on different ideas,” he says.
“We all have our own distinct challenges in our individual airports, but when it comes to sustainability and environmental issues, we talk about how they’re handling it, what they’re doing that worked, what didn’t work, so that we can all work together.”
Partnerships extend beyond links between airports. On the first day of the job at ONT, board members made it clear to Elkadi how valuable solid relationships are at every level of the organization.
“They said, ‘It’s not about the transaction, it’s about building the relationship and sustaining it,’” Elkadi remembers. “I’ll never forget it, and that’s really been our motto moving forward.”
It’s hard to think of another business with such a large supplier and partner base as an international airport. From global logistics firms, including Amazon and UPS, to local police and fire departments and the United States Customs and Border Protection, Elkadi is deeply involved with their regional leadership teams to ensure all organizations are working from the same playbook.
“It’s extremely important to have open dialogue about the relationship we have with all of our partners,” he adds.
Getting to a place where communication is seamless and based on trust isn’t an overnight process. Thanks to the work put in by Elkadi in building these relationships, when something comes up that needs to be addressed, it is easy to get to the bottom of any issues.
“We can have a quick conversation and make a fix pretty quickly as opposed to if it were transactional and you needed to go through multiple layers, so those relationships play a very critical role in our success,” he confirms.
Southern California-based consulting firm Jacob Green & Associates works closely with Elkadi and the wider leadership team on strategic planning, risk assessments and emergency response, helping to ensure these diverse collaborations are seamlessly carried out.
In the aviation space, where small issues can rapidly escalate, having access to trusted external partners can make a crucial difference in times of crisis.
Rather than focusing on innovation for innovation’s sake, Elkadi wholeheartedly believes that improved security, safety and efficiency must be the end goal, as opposed to vanity metrics.
“It’s everybody’s responsibility. The way our organization works is that with every idea, it doesn’t matter what position you’re in, bring it forward and let’s see if we can make it happen,” he says.
Based on the ambitious ONT Bold development plan, the entire airport is committed to transforming how people think about the airport’s role.
“It’s not just a transportation hub, but a platform for connection, innovation and resilience,” Elkadi explains.
The ONT Bold plan has now become a mindset held by employees that guides how they approach all parts of their jobs.
During his tenure, Elkadi has doubled down on strengthening what ONT does best: creating an enjoyable customer experience. For example, a US$90 million Federal Aviation Administration-supported project to rehabilitate runways, including enhanced safety, adding lighting, modernizing electrical systems and installing sustainable stormwater management was one of the first initiatives led by Elkadi.
“It’s not necessarily sexy, but it’s very important. We’re currently expanding our Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint lanes, which means we’re going to make our already short wait times even shorter,” he reveals. “And then our ongoing collaboration with TSA includes a new global entry enrollment center.”
Before the new global entry enrollment center, travelers would have to visit airports in San Diego, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson or other areas just to do their global entry interviews. Now, this five-to-10-minute interview can take place at ONT, further streamlining the experience.
“My vision is that when the world arrives in Southern California, whether it’s for the Olympics, business travel or to visit family, ONT will be their most welcoming, efficient and human experience that they’ve had at an airport,” Elkadi concludes.
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