Passenger numbers at Ontario Airport continue to grow

Strong growth in passenger volume at Ontario International Airport (ONT) continued in September as the number of air travellers who passed through the airport rose 14 per cent, while passenger numbers increased more than 13 per cent in the first nine months of the year.

The number of arriving and departing passengers totalled than more 420,000 last month, up from 369,000 in September a year ago. The total included more than 402,000 domestic passengers, nearly 12 per cent more than the 360,000 in September 2017. The number of international travellers doubled to 17,842 from 8,772 in September last year.

Alan D. Wapner, President of the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) said: “The steady increases in passenger volume show that air carriers and travellers have great faith in Ontario as a viable aviation gateway in Southern California. Our customers are sophisticated travellers who know a first-rate airport when they see it and demand the best services and amenities. We promise to work hard every day to exceed their expectations.”

From January through September, more than 3.7 million travellers moved through ONT, an increase of 13.3 per cent over the same period last year. The number of passengers on domestic flights grew by 12 per cent to 3.6 million while international passenger volume climbed 48.6 per cent to nearly 158,000.

Increasing confidence among airlines and air travellers continues to drive ONT’s steady year-over-year growth as carriers introduce new commercial service.

JetBlue launched a non-stop service to New York City in early September. A month earlier, Frontier Airlines began a daily service to Florida. Delta Air Lines have announced it will add a non-stop service to its Atlanta hub in the spring. Meanwhile, the completion of multi-million upgrades of the airport’s dining and retail concessions has brought new, popular amenities to ONT passengers.

The airport’s cargo business also continued to grow at a double-digit pace last month. Commercial freight and mail rose 12.4 per cent in September to more than 61,000 tons, up from 54,000 tons in September last year. In the first nine months of 2018, cargo tonnage grew to 544,700 tons from almost 463,000 tons a year ago, an increase of 17.7 per cent.

OIAA Commissioner Jim Bowman, said: “The continued strong performance in both passenger and cargo volumes validates the tremendous commitment and efforts of our staff and leadership team in the two years since the airport’s return to local control.”