ONTARIO, Calif. – Ontario International Airport is continuing to see an increase in the number of passengers, and Monday the figures show October had the highest volume since the airport transferred to local ownership in 2016.
There were more than 541,000 airline passengers at Ontario International Airport in October, the highest total in a single month since 2016, and its run of better than pre-pandemic levels was extended, according to airport officials.
Ontario International Airport reported a 7.3% increase in total air travelers in October compared with October 2019. It was the eighth consecutive month the number of air travelers was higher than before the pandemic and the sixth month in a row that more than 500,000 travelers visited Ontario International Airport.
The airport has served 4.75 million passengers through the first 10 months of 2022, 4% more than the same period in 2019 and 33.7% higher than last year.
“Air travelers and our airline partners continued to show tremendous confidence in Ontario International in October, as our airport recorded the highest number of passengers in a single month since we took ownership six years ago,” said Alan D. Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) Board of Commissioners and Mayor pro Tem of the City of Ontario. “Ontario is consistently exceeding pre-pandemic passenger volumes, which is a clear reflection of our airport’s robust recovery and the unyielding faith of air travelers in our ability to provide the hallmark hassle-free customer experience they expect.”
Air cargo shipments saw an increase as the airport too. There were more than 65,000 tons of cargo recorded in October, a nearly 1% gain compared to October 2019. Ontario’s shipments of freight and mail surpassed more than 687,000 tons from January to October, nearly 10% more than the same period in 2019.
“Ontario International plays a critical role in one of the world’s most robust supply chain hubs, creating jobs and economic opportunities across the Inland Empire and throughout Southern California,” said Atif Elkadi, OIAA chief executive officer.
Elkadi made reference to a recently released study by Oxford Economics showed Ontario International Airport generated $3.8 billion in annual economic activity and supported 27,800 jobs. It served as the hub of a logistic network that produces $17.8 billion in economic output.
