Passenger Count at Ontario International Airport Increased for 44th Straight Month in Busiest October Ever

Ontario International Airport (ONT) recorded its 44th consecutive month of year-over-year increases with its busiest October ever, while air cargo volume jumped by almost 32%, officials announced.

The Southern California gateway reported 642,853 travelers in October, 6% more than October last year. The total included 609,773 domestic passengers and 33,080 international customers. The number of domestic travelers was 7.3% higher while the international count was 13% lower than a year ago.

On a year-to-date basis, ONT welcomed 5.8 million passengers, nearly 11% more than the same period in 2023. The number of domestic fliers totaled 5.5 million and international travelers numbered 368,849, increases of 10.9% and 10.4%, respectively. The airport remains on pace to welcome more than 7 million passengers this year.

“Our easy-in, easy-out experience and superior customer service continued to attract air travelers in higher numbers in October,” said Atif Elkadi, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA).  “The Inland Empire is a business hub for the region with a growing population base and the word is out that Ontario International Airport is the airport of choice in Southern California.”

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The air carriers with the greatest passenger shares in October were:

1.       Southwest Airlines (34.4%)

2.       Frontier Airlines (16.2%)

3.       American Airlines (15.5%)

4.       Delta Air Lines (10.1%)

5.       United Airlines (7.6%)

Air cargo volume (freight and mail combined) increased nearly 32% in October to 79,986 tons, which Elkadi attributed to greater e-commerce activity before the year-end holidays and some shippers shifting ocean freight to air transport.

Freight totaled 68,982 tons and mail reached 11,004 tons, particularly encouraging news as cargo levels approached those experienced during the pandemic-fueled surge of 2020.

Over the first 10 months of the year, air cargo totaled nearly 639,000 tons, an increase of 5.8% with freight up by 5.7% and mail higher by 6.7%.

The hefty increase in mail is the result of a major cargo hub operator at ONT becoming the United States Postal Service's primary air cargo provider, Elkadi said.