RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA —Amazon will pull their planes and sorting facility from Riverside County’s March Air Reserve Base in the coming weeks, spokesperson Sam Stephenson confirmed with Patch.
“We’re always evaluating our network to make sure it fits our business needs and to improve the experience for our employees, customers, and partners,” he said. “We’ve made the decision to cease operations at our Riverside Air facility. All employees are able to transfer to other facilities we have nearby, and there will be no impact on our customers.”
There are currently about 400 workers employed at Amazon’s March ARB warehouse.
Amazon planes will instead take to the tarmac at San Bernardino International Airport, Stephenson said. Current employees will be offered comparable jobs at one of the more than three dozen sites within 50 miles of the air base, which are located in Riverside, Ontario, and San Bernardino.
The future of the March Air Reserve Base, including a proposed 34-acre development that would significantly expand civilian flight operations, is meeting opposition from area residents concerned about rising noise and pollution levels. Meanwhile, one of the firms backing the venture argues it’s compatible with the base’s purposes.
Known as the Meridian Gateway Aviation Center Project, the plan proposes docking bays for seven cargo airliners at a time, and the final Environmental Impact Report is due in 2025.
In November, March JPA CEO Grace Martin said Gateway, as with all projects proposed to the JPA, is undergoing a thorough “vetting process.” The final EIR will be left to the JPA Commission to consider, and based on that, make modifications to the plans or reject them altogether.
