Summer travel through Ontario International Airport continues at robust pace in July while cargo shipments maintain strong growth

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Aug 28, 2018, 18:00 ET

ONTARIO, Calif., Aug. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 450,000 airline passengers moved through Ontario International Airport (ONT) in July, up 17% from the same month last year. July was the sixth month this year that ONT experienced double-digit growth in passenger volume.

For the first seven months of the year, nearly 2.9 million air travelers passed through ONT compared to 2.56 million during the same period a year ago, an increase of more than 12%.

At the height of the summer travel season, ONT welcomed 448,299 customers in July, an increase of 16.9% over July last year when 383,349 passengers traveled through the airport. The numbers of domestic and international travelers grew last month by 16% and 32.2%, respectively.

Air cargo shipments, meanwhile, rose 27.4% to 63,204 tons of freight and mail, compared to 49,629 tons last July. For the year, cargo shipment volume is up 18.5%, to 414,844 tons, compared to the first seven months of 2017.

"We are heartened by the strong growth we continue to see in passenger and cargo volumes," said Mark Thorpe, Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority. "Our customers are looking for attractive alternatives for air service in Southern California and we are working every day to meet their demands."

Frontier Airlines began daily, non-stop service from ONT to Orlando this month, and JetBlue Airways will begin non-stop service to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport in September. The OIAA in June approved a lease agreement with FedEx Express to continue the company's cargo operations at ONT for at least 30 years.

This past week, Ontario marked the completion of a multi-million dollar transformation of its food and beverage concessions.

"I want to congratulate our staff and our partners for the incredible progress that has been made since the airport's return to local control," said Jim Bowman, an OIAA commissioner and Ontario City Council member. "What we're seeing now is only the start of a bold new era for ONT."

	July 2018	July 2017	% Change	YTD 2018	YTD 2017	% Change
Passenger Traffic
Domestic	424,982	365,706	16.2%	2,765,627	2,479,453	11.5%
International	23,317	17,643	32.2%	117,715	85,230	38.1%
Total	448,299	383,349	16.9%	2,883,342	2,564,683	12.4%
Air Cargo (Tons)
Freight	60,734	47,445	28.0%	397,167	333,756	19.0%
Mail	2,470	2,184	13.1%	17,676	16,394	7.8%
Total	63,204	49,629	27.4%	414,844	350,151	18.5%

About Ontario International Airport
Ontario International (ONT) Airport is located in the Inland Empire, 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 18 major airports in the U.S., Mexico and Taiwan, and connecting service to many domestic and international destinations. There is an average of 64 daily departures offered by 8 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 Mayor Pro-Tem Alan D. Wapner (President), Retired Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge (Vice President), Ontario Council Member Jim W. Bowman (Secretary), San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman (Commissioner) and retired business executive Julia Gouw (Commissioner).