ONT nearly back to pre-pandemic passenger levels

Nearly 358,000 passenger passed through Ontario International Airport last month, doubling last year’s passenger count during the second month of the year, according to data released Monday.

That was also 98.5 percent of the passenger count in February 2019, another sign the airport is returning to where it was before COVID-19 struck two years ago, the Ontario International Airport Authority reported.

Domestic travelers totaled nearly 347,000 in February, a 131 percent year-over-year increase and one percent higher than February 2019.  International passengers totaled nearly 11,000 last month, five times more than February 2021 and nearly half as many as February 2019.

“Ontario International continues to set the pace for pandemic recovery among medium and large hub airports in California,” said Alan D. Wapner, president of the authority board, in the statement. “While rising fuel costs and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine pose some uncertainty for air travel, we are confident that our aviation gateway will be a leader among airports nationwide.”

In January and February, cargo shipments totaled more than 129,000 tons, 15.8 percent more than the first two months of 2019, the authority reported.