Ontario International Airport freight volume rose 24% in May; COVID-19 caused 85% drop in passenger total

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Jun 15, 2020, 08:00 ET

ONTARIO, Calif., June 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California's Ontario International Airport (ONT) continued to see strong growth in commercial air freight in May as tonnage handled rose more than 24%, the third straight month of better than 20% gains, while the number of passengers who flew in and out of the airport declined by 85%, officials announced.

Ontario processed better than 81,000 tons of commercial cargo last month, 24.1% more than May 2019. From January through May, freight totaled more than 342,000 tons, up 18.3% over the first five months of last year.

Freight volumes at Ontario International Airport continue to grow.

"The global coronavirus pandemic continued to drive dramatic changes in cargo and passenger volumes as Southern Californians remained at home and relied on the e-commerce supply chain for many of their household supplies," said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority. "At the same time, like airports across the U.S., we saw another month of significantly lower passenger volumes. Nonetheless, we are optimistic that passenger traffic will pick up in the coming months based on flight schedules published by air carriers."

The increase in May freight shipments continued the run of significantly higher commercial cargo volume since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ontario experienced increases of 22% and 26% in March and April, respectively.

Air cargo (tonnage)	May 2020	May 2019	% Change	YTD 2020	YTD 2019	% Change
Freight	81,379	65,559	24.13%	342,828	289,905	18.3%
Mail	1,484	2,616	-43.26%	7,518	11,808	-36.3%
Total	82,863	68,174	21.55%	350,346	301,713	16.1%

Meanwhile, the pandemic continued to impact the number of air travelers at ONT, resulting in a decrease of 85.2% in May. For the month, ONT customers totaled 70,296, all of whom were domestic passengers. International flights remained suspended for the month.

From January through May, the number of ONT passengers totaled 1.2 million, 43% lower compared to the same period last year.

Passenger Totals	May 2020	May 2019	% Change	YTD 2020	YTD 2019	% Change
Domestic	70,296	449,092	-84.35%	1,143,422	1,994,713	-42.7%
International	0	26,308	-100%	64,060	121,968	-47.5%
Total	70,296	475,400	-85.21%	1,207,482	2,116,681	-43.0%

"Our airline partners' recent releases of their respective future flight schedules at our airport give us a growing sense of confidence that the worst of the pandemic's impact on air travel is behind us," Thorpe said. "Ontario, like all other U.S. airports, is doing everything in our power to weather these very turbulent times as we look forward to an equally strong recovery."

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 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 City Council Member 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).

OIAA Media Contact:

Steve Lambert, (909) 841-7527 [email protected]

SOURCE Ontario International Airport