Last month was busiest March for Southern California gateway since 2008

(Ontario, California – April 17, 2023) – Southern California’s Ontario International Airport (ONT) maintained its momentum with double-digit growth in passenger volume in March and for the first quarter of the year.

The traveler count for March was more than 501,000, a 10.4% increase over the same month last year. Domestic passenger volume exceeded 476,000 while the number of international travelers reached almost 25,000, increases of 8.4% and 70.7%, respectively.

Last month was the busiest March at ONT since 2008, when the airport served 606,993 customers.

For the first three months of the year, ONT welcomed more than 1.3 million air travelers, 16.6% more than the same period a year ago with domestic and international totals increasing by 14.7% and 67.5%, respectively.

“We are pleased with the sustained growth in passenger volumes experienced in the first quarter,  which is on top of the full pandemic recovery that ONT achieved in 2022,” said Atif Elkadi, chief executive officer, Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA). “Our airport continues to serve our partner airlines and customers well as demand for air travel increases, and Ontario prides itself on being as a premier gateway for Southern California.”

Shipments of commercial freight and mail, which measured more than 65,000 tons, decreased 10.3% in March compared with 2022. Cargo tonnage was 9% lower on a year-to-date basis. Even so, ONT continues to outperform the industry as a whole as higher interest rates and slowing consumer demand have impact shipping volumes.

Worldwide cargo volumes were 11% lower in the first quarter, according to WorldACD Market Data, an Amsterdam-based publishing enterprise which compiles market data for shippers, airlines, airports and others in the air cargo market.