Ontario International Airport (ONT) recorded double-digit increases in traffic volumes for the second consecutive month, with passenger levels up more than 10% and freight tonnage nearly 20% higher in February.
Passengers totaled 353,883 in February, 10.2% higher than February 2017 when ONT welcomed 321,267 customers. Cargo continued to grow at a nearly 20% rate with freight shipments up 19.8%, while mail shipments increased 2.6% compared with the same month a year ago.
“The sustained year-over-year growth reflects not only our capacity to handle more customers and cargo but our strong ability to provide the services and amenities passengers demand and the hassle-free experience they deserve,” said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority.
“That ONT continued to grow and succeed in February bodes well as we prepare to take on our next role as Southern California’s new gateway to Asia later this month.”
China Airlines will launch daily trans-oceanic service between Taiwan and Ontario on March 25. After initially planning to service the route four days a week, China Airlines increased flight frequency to seven days a week as customer demand exceeded expectations.
For January and February combined, passenger and cargo volumes were higher by 10.4% and 20.7%, respectively, over the first two months of 2017.
Feb. 2018 Feb. 2017 % Change YTD 2018 YTD 2017 % Change
Passenger Traffic
Domestic 346,877 313,789 10.5% 709,112 639,661 10.9%
International 7,006 7,478 -6.3% 19,748 20,689 -4.5%
Total 353,883 321,267 10.2% 728,860 660,350 10.4%
Air Cargo (Tons)
Freight 50,449 42,108 19.8% 105,503 86,916 21.4%
Mail 2,182 2,125 2.6% 4,399 4,134 6.4%
Total 52,631 44,234 19.0% 109,902 91,050 20.7%
