of Ontario International Airport (ONT). The Los Angeles Department of Airports later acquired ONT from the city of Ontario in 1985, and expanded the airport's 485 acres of land to more than 1,700 acres and invested more than US$500 million in improvements. In April 2013, the city of Ontario filed a legal complaint against LAWA alleging mismanagement of the Ontario Airport, which resulted in a 40% decline of traffic between 2007 and 2013. LAWA countered the complaint, saying the Great Recession was responsible for the decline in activity. After years of negotiations, LAWA sold its interest in ONT to the newly formed Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) in December 2015 for a total of US$190 million. It transferred operational management of the airport to OIAA on November 1, 2016. Palmdale Regional Airport In 1969, the Los Angeles Department of Airports began searching for a location to build a secondary international airport to relieve congestion at LAX. The location that the department decided on was in the Antelope Valley near the city of Palmdale. From 1969 to 1983, LAWA acquired over 17,500 acres through voluntary acquisitions and eminent domain to develop an intercontinental airport. Development of "Palmdale Intercontinental Airport" never materialized due in part to lack of demand for commercial air services, environmental litigation, and opposition from the United States Air Force (USAF) whose United States Air Force Plant 42 is located adjacent to LAWA-acquired land. The agency eventually entered into a lease agreement with the USAF to use Air Force Plant 42 runways and to build and operate a small terminal. Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD) began commercial operations in June 1971, but was not able to maintain steady demand with passenger traffic peaking in 1978 with 36,000 passengers before airline services eventually ceased in 1983. Two airlines began operating commercial services at PMD in 1990, but were again unable to maintain demand and ended services in 1998. In June 2007, United Airlines began operating at PMD, but ceased operations in December 2008 citing lack of demand. At the end of 2013, LAWA transferred its lease with the USAF to the City of Palmdale. Operations Ground transportation LAWA operates the FlyAway bus service, which runs two shuttle routes between LAX and the following: Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley, and Los Angeles Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. The agency is currently constructing the LAX Automated People Mover. Law enforcement