Ontario International Airport passenger numbers up 5.2% in March and 4.6% in first quarter of 2019

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Apr 19, 2019, 12:00 ET

ONTARIO, Calif., April 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of airline passengers who traveled through Southern California's Ontario International Airport (ONT) increased by more than 5% last month compared to March last year, the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) announced. Overall, passenger numbers grew from 415,000 in March 2018 to 436,701 last month.

The number of domestic travelers increased by 2% to 412,440 from 404,334 in March last year. Meanwhile, the number of international passengers rose to 24,261 last month, up from 10,665 in March 2018, an increase of 127.5%.

Passenger and cargo volumes continue to rise at Ontario International Airport.

In the first three months of 2019, nearly 1.2 million air travelers passed through ONT, an increase of 4.6% over the same period a year ago. The number of international travelers rose by nearly 135% while domestic passenger volume grew by 1%.

"Ontario customers continue to reward us with their business month after month," said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the OIAA. "Their acknowledgment that Ontario is growing into a viable international aviation gateway for Southern California drives us every day to provide the facilities, services and amenities that they demand, not to mention the hassle-free experiences that they deserve."

Ontario passenger volumes are expected to rise further in the coming months, Thorpe noted, as Delta Air Lines initiates daily nonstop service to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday, April 22, with a second roundtrip also to its Atlanta hub beginning in June. In the same month, United Airlines will begin one flight a day to its Texas hub, George Bush Intercontinental Airport, while Southwest Airlines will add new service to San Francisco International Airport with four daily flights. Southwest will add a third daily flight (Monday-Friday) to Denver International Airport, also in June.

Air cargo, meanwhile, was essentially flat in March compared to the same month a year ago, declining less than 1% from 60,200 tons to 59,900 tons. The volume of commercial freight dipped two-tenths of one percent from 57,700 tons to 57,500 tons approximately. Mail shipments decreased by 8.9%. On a year-to-date basis, air cargo shipments grew by almost 1% to more than 171,000 tons compared to the first quarter of 2018.

	March 2019	March 2018	% Change	YTD 2019	YTD 2018	% Change
Passenger Traffic
Domestic	412,440	404,334	2.0%	1,124,922	1,113,446	1.0%
International	24,261	10,6656	127.5%	71,411	30,413	134.8%
Total	436,701	414,999	5.2%	1,196,333	1,143,859	4.6%
Air Cargo (Tons)
Q	57,582	57,710	-0.2%	164,988	163,212	1.1%
Mail	2,325	2,551	-8.9%	6,738	6,950	-3.1%
Total	59,907	60,261	-0.6%	171,725	170,163	0.9%

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 with nonstop commercial jet service to 19 major airports in the U.S., Mexico and Taiwan, and connecting service to many domestic and international destinations. There is an average of 67 daily departures offered by nine air carriers. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com.
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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).

News Media Contacts:
Atif Elkadi, Deputy Executive Director, (858) 361-9319 [email protected]
Steve Lambert, (909) 841-7527 [email protected]

SOURCE Ontario International Airport