On the heels of completing a massive airfield reconstruction, Ontario International Airport (ONT) in southern California is reporting strong growth, particularly in domestic traffic.
ONT, around 58 mi. east of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), has this month completed a project that included “the removal of old concrete and 80,000 square yards [720,000 ft.2] worth of repaving at the airport’s southernmost runway (8R-26L), along with the rehabilitation of adjacent taxiways, elimination of two adjacent taxiways and construction of new Taxiway S8, the installation of LED lighting and other infrastructure improvements.”
The rehabilitation project, started in February 2023, had a price tag of $90 million. Grants from the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP) made up $67 million of the total. ONT said it covered the rest through revenue generated via airport operations.
From January through September, ONT handled 5.2 million passengers, up 11.5% over the first nine months of 2023. Domestic passengers for the period totaled 4.9 million, up 11.4% year-over-year. International passengers for the nine months increased 13.5% year-over-year to 335,769.
“We are closing in on the all-time annual record [of more than 7 million passengers], which is achievable in part because our international airport is unconstrained by passenger and flight caps, curfews and other constraints common among peer airports in southern California,” ONT CEO Atif Elkadi said.
Southwest Airlines is the leading passenger carrier at the airport, with a 34.5% share in September. Frontier Airlines is next at 16.6%, followed by American Airlines (15.3%), Delta Air Lines (9.9%) and Alaska Airlines (7.7%).
ONT’s latest route launched Oct. 10 when Avelo Airlines opened service to Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in northern California. The exclusive route is being flown 2X-weekly with a Boeing 737NG. It is Avelo’s first route from ONT.
According to its website, ONT is connected to around 24 destinations. Taiwan’s China Airlines operates between ONT and Taipei Taoyuan International Airport with a 777-300ER. The rest of the airports connected to ONT are spread among the U.S., Mexico and Central America.
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