ONT: passengers down, cargo up

The COVID-19 pandemic inflicted its first serious damage on Ontario International Airport in March, but only on one side of the ledger.

First, the bad side: passenger traffic fell 46.4 percent compared with March 2019, a decline caused mostly by the stay-at-home orders issued by the state and counties, the Ontario International Airport Authority reported.

Domestic travel was down 46.3 percent, while International travel fell 49.3 percent. The airport’s passenger traffic for the first quarter was 1,108,270, a seven percent decline from the first quarter of 2019.

Now, the positive side: more than 70,000 tons of commercial cargo moved through Ontario International last month, up 12,600 tons year over year, or 22 percent. 

That was one of the largest cargo increases in the airport’s history and the second-largest since it came under local control in 2016, according to the airport authority, which oversees day-to-day operations at Ontario International.

During the first quarter, Ontario International handled 186,000 tons or freight, a 13 percent increase compared with first quarter 2019. 

“Our airport is the heart of one of the most vital supply chain networks in the country, and during this time of crisis, it has become an even more vital transshipment hub for many household supplies ordered online,” said Mark Thorpe, the authority’s chief executive officer, in a statement.