ONT passenger count stays down

COVID-19 continued to hammer Ontario International Airport last month, as passenger traffic there dropped more than 60 percent year-over-year.

More than 176,000 passengers passed through Ontario International in July, 64 percent lower than July 2019, according to a statement on the airport’s website.

More than 172,600 were domestic passengers while 3,600 were International travelers, decreases of 63%, and 86%, respectively.

At the same time, air freight increased 27 percent compared with July 2019, a sign of how much online shopping has increased during the pandemic, according to a statement on the airport’s website.

In July, commercial freight totaled more than 79,400 tons, a 27 percent increase from exactly one year earlier. In the first seven months of 2020, Ontario International processed more than 500,000 tons of air freight, 21.2 percent more than the same period in 2019.

Cargo shipments at Ontario International have increased by more than 20 percent during the past five months.

“These are extraordinary times for the air travel industry and airports around the world, including Ontario, are feeling the impact of the coronavirus,” said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority, in the statement.

“Though air travel is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon, freight shipments are a great insurance policy for Ontario International, and we expect they will continue to be a source of strength and optimism for the rest of this year and into the next.”