ONT passenger count continues to struggle

COVID-19 continues to impact Ontario International Airport, as passenger volume sustained another huge decline in February.

An estimated 152,000 air passengers passed through the airport during the second month of the year, a 63 percent drop from February 2020, the Ontario International Airport Authority reported this week.

Of those, 150,000 were domestic passengers and 2,000 traveled internationally, year-over-year declines of 62 percent and 92 percent respectively.

Although, things were much better on the other side of the ledger: freight volume totaled more than 62,800 tons, up 14.3 percent from February 2020. U.S. mail accounted for 3.2 tons of last month’s total freight.

For the first two months of the year, air freight totaled more than 133,000 tons, nearly 15 percent higher than first two months of 2020. Mail shipments reached 6,400 tons, more than double last year.

“Our airport continues to be a bright reflection of the Inland Empire’s skilled labor force and vibrant economy in 2021,” said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority, in a statement. “Despite the impact of COVID-19 on air travel and other sectors of the economy, freight shipments through Ontario International continue to show tremendous strength.”