Steady passenger gains continue at Ontario International Airport

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Apr 19, 2018, 06:45 ET

ONTARIO, Calif., April 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Passenger volumes at Ontario International Airport (ONT) continued their steady climb in March, increasing more than 9% compared to the same month last year, the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) announced today. The number of international passengers grew by more than 24% following the start of daily service to Asia.

Passengers totaled more than 415,000 in March, 9.3% higher than March 2017 when ONT welcomed nearly 380,000 air travelers. Cargo tonnage continued to grow at a robust pace, also rising by 9.3% last month.

March continued ONT's impressive passenger and freight traffic increases.

"Our customers continue to show their trust in our ability to provide a safe, secure and headache-free airport experience," said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the OIAA. "Air travelers expect easy access to our passenger terminals, quick yet thorough security screening and a variety of amenities suitable for business and leisure travelers alike. And we work every day to deliver that high-quality customer service experience."

Thorpe added that a number of announcements are expected in the coming weeks and months regarding additional air service and upgraded airport amenities.

The significant increase in international passenger volume, from 8,577 in March 2017 to 10,673 last month, reflects new, trans-Pacific service between ONT and Taipei, Taiwan provided by China Airlines, which began the daily round-trip flights March 25.

For the first quarter of 2018, passenger levels rose 10% over the same period a year ago, from 1,040,006 to 1,143,867 passengers. Cargo volume, commercial freight and mail shipments combined, grew by 16.4%, from 146,096 to 170,055 metric tons.

	Mar. 2018	Mar. 2017	% Change	YTD 2018	YTD 2017	% Change
Passenger Traffic
Domestic	404,334	371,079	9.0%	1,113,446	1,010,740	10.2%
International	10,673	8,577	24.4%	30,421	29,266	3.9%
Total	415,007	379,656	9.3%	1,143,867	1,040,006	10.0%
Air Cargo (Tons)
Freight	57,602	52,460	9.8%	163,104	139,376	17.0%
Mail	2,551	2,586	-1.4%	6,950	6,720	3.4%
Total	60,153	55,046	9.3%	146,096	146,096	16.4%

About Ontario International Airport
Ontario International (ONT) Airport is located in the Inland Empire, approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport with nonstop commercial jet service to 19 major airports in the U.S. and Mexico, and connecting service to many domestic and international destinations. There is an average of 66 daily departures offered by 8 air carriers. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com.

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About the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA)

The OIAA was formed in August 2012 by a Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Ontario and the County of San Bernardino to provide overall direction for the management, operations, development and marketing of ONT for the benefit of the Southern California economy and the residents of the airport's four-county catchment area. OIAA Commissioners are Ontario Mayor Pro-Tem Alan D. Wapner (President), Retired Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge (Vice President), Ontario Council Member Jim W. Bowman (Secretary), San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman (Commissioner) and retired business executive Julia Gouw (Commissioner).

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Atif Elkadi, Senior Director of Marketing, Communications and External Affairs, (858) 361-9319 [email protected]
Steve Lambert, (909) 841-7527 [email protected]

SOURCE Ontario International Airport