Ontario International Airport extends run topping pre-pandemic passenger volume

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Aug 15, 2022, 08:00 ET

More than 520,000 travelers flew into or out of the Southern California gateway in July, beating 2019 levels for the 5^th straight month

ONTARIO, Calif., Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- July marked the fifth straight month in which Ontario International Airport (ONT) recorded passenger volumes higher than the same month in 2019, as the Southern California gateway continues to post one of the most impressive post-pandemic recoveries among airports across the United States.

Southern California's Ontario International Airport exceeded pre-pandemic passenger levels for the fifth straight month in July.

More than 520,000 airline passengers traveled through ONT last month, an increase of 8.8% over July 2021 and 5% higher than July 2019. The number of domestic and international travelers totaled more than 502,000 and 17,000, respectively, in July. Domestic passenger volume increased by 7.4% compared with July 2019 and 8.7% over July a year ago.

From January through July, ONT welcomed 3.1 million passengers, 3% more than the same period in 2019 and 48.8% higher than last year.

The July totals also represented the third straight month in which ONT has exceeded a half-million travelers, and were the most in a single month since at least 2008 – years before the airport's return to local control.

"Ontario International continues to deliver strong results as demand for air travel in Southern California rebounds. We expect the trend will continue through the summer travel season and into the fall," said Alan D. Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) Board of Commissioners and Mayor pro Tem of the City of Ontario. "The statistics underscore the high level of confidence our guests have in our facilities and services."

Passenger Totals	Jul 2022	Jul 2019	Change	YTD 2022	YTD 2019	Change
Domestic	502,630	467,990	7.40 %	3,072,902	2,913,914	5.5 %
International	17,717	26,976	-34.32 %	108,394	175,414	-38.2 %
Total	520,347	494,966	5.13 %	3,181,296	3,089,328	3.0 %

Passenger Totals	Jul 2022	Jul 2021	Change	YTD 2022	YTD 2021	Change
Domestic	502,630	462,295	8.72 %	3,072,902	2,085,057	47.4 %
International	17,717	15,671	13.06 %	108,394	53,359	103.1 %
Total	520,347	477,966	8.87 %	3,181,296	2,138,416	48.8 %

"Since March, ONT passenger volumes have outpaced pre-pandemic levels every month, a very positive trend despite the emergence of COVID-19 variants and generally higher airfares," said OIAA chief executive officer Atif Elkadi. "Our customers in the Inland Empire and beyond have demonstrated their heightened demand for air travel through Ontario International, and our airline partners are responding with more planes to more destinations."

Air cargo shipments which totaled 68,000 tons in July increased nearly 6% compared to 2019. Over the first seven months of the year, the volume freight and mail, more than 476,000 tons, was 11% higher than the same period three years ago.

Air cargo (tonnage)	Jul 2022	Jul 2019	Change	YTD 2022	YTD 2019	Change
Freight	63,897	62,563	2.13 %	444,510	413,631	7.5 %
Mail	4,269	1,780	139.84 %	32,377	15,363	110.7 %
Total	68,167	64,343	5.94 %	476,886	428,994	11.2 %

Air cargo (tonnage)	Jul 2022	Jul 2021	Change	YTD 2022	YTD 2021	Change
Freight	63,897	66,407	-3.78 %	444,510	479,255	-7.2 %
Mail	4,269	4,094	4.29 %	32,377	26,275	23.2 %
Total	68,167	70,500	-3.31 %	476,886	505,531	-5.7 %

About Ontario International Airport
Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the fastest growing airport in the United States, according to Global Traveler, a leading publication for frequent fliers. Located in the Inland Empire, ONT is approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport which, before the coronavirus pandemic, offered nonstop commercial jet service to 26 major airports in the U.S., Mexico, Central America and Taiwan. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com. Follow @flyONT on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

About the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA)
The OIAA was formed in August 2012 by a Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Ontario and the County of San Bernardino to provide overall direction for the management, operations, development and marketing of ONT for the benefit of the Southern California economy and the residents of the airport's four-county catchment area. OIAA Commissioners are Ontario Mayor Pro Tem Alan D. Wapner (President), Retired Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge (Vice President), Ontario City Council Member Jim W. Bowman (Secretary), San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman (Commissioner) and retired business executive Julia Gouw (Commissioner).