ONT passenger numbers improve

Finally, some good news regarding passenger traffic at Ontario International Airport.

The airport, hit hard by COVID-19, accommodated close to 260,000 passengers in March, an 11 percent year-over-year increase, according to data released Wednesday.

The airport has regained more than half the passengers it has lost during the pandemic, which began 13 months ago, leading airport officials to believe the airport is on the road to recovery.

“Given the new and restarted services in recent months by airlines operating at Ontario International, and plans announced for the initiation of more flights coming by summer, we are confident that recovery is on the horizon, especially as more travelers receive vaccines and resume more normal travel routines,” said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority, in the statement.

Domestic travel was up nearly 16 percent year-over-year in March, while International trips dropped 78.4 percent.

Cargo shipments were way up, a trend that began shortly after the pandemic started and shows no sign of stopping.

A little more than 78,000 tons of freight, including 3,800 tons of U.S. Mail deliveries, passed through the airport during the third month of the year, a nine percent increase from March 2020, according to the data.