ONT passenger count continues to climb

Ontario International Airport recorded strong passenger gains in August, moving to within seven percent of its pre-COVID-19 passenger count.

More than 467,000 passengers passed through Ontario International last month, which was 138 percent higher than August 2020 and 93 percent of its passenger count in August 2019, according to data released Wednesday by the Ontario International Airport Authority.

Ontario International accommodated more than 454,000 domestic passengers and 13,600 international travelers in August. During the first eight months of the year, passenger volume was 2.6 million, 51 percent higher than the same period last year and within 72.5 percent of the same eight-month period in 2019.

“Ontario International continued to experience a strong pandemic recovery in August, and we remain confident in our ability to attract air service and maintain Ontario’s status as a safe, attractive destination airport,” said Ronald O. Loveridge, vice president of the airport authority.

Freight and mail shipments in August totaled more than 68,000 tons, a year-over-year drop of 8.3 percent but a 1.6 increase compared with August 2019.

During the first eight months of the year, more than 543,000 tons of air cargo moved in and out of Ontario International, a  2.7 percent decline from August 2020 but an increase of 15.6 percent from August 2019, according to the airport authority.