OIA Posts Strong Passenger Count

Ontario International Airport enjoyed a solid February.

Passenger traffic was 5.6 percent year-over-year during the second month of the year, according to data released Tuesday by Los Angeles World Airports.

Ontario International’s domestic passenger count last month was 295,948, up from 280,602 one year earlier, an increase of 5.4 percent

During the same time, the airport accommodated 8,322 international passengers, up from 7,337 in February 2015, an increase of 13.4 percent. Some of that increase can be attributed to AeroMexico, one of Ontario International’s two international carriers, which added flights between Ontario and Mexico City last April.

Southwest Airlines handled 56.1 percent of all traffic at Ontario International during February, followed by American Airlines, at 15.2 percent and United Airlines, which accounted for 8.5 percent of the airport’s traffic.

More than 342,300 tons of freight passed through Ontario International last month, according to the data.

Ontario International is owned and operated by LAWA, a city of Los Angeles agency that also owns Los Angeles International Airport.

Last August, Los Angeles officials agreed to transfer ownership of the airport to Ontario. That transaction, which must still be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, could happen as early as this summer.