Ontario, California  – Passenger volume at Ontario International Airport (ONT) grew by more than 18% in August, reflecting the steadily increasing satisfaction among air travelers for service at Southern California's fastest growing aviation gateway.

The number of arriving and departing passengers totaled 458,029 last month, an increase of 18.2% over August 2017 when ONT welcomed 387,351 travelers. The August figure included 435,690 domestic passengers, up 16.2% from 375,109 a year ago, and 22,339 international travelers, 82.5% more than the 12,242 in August 2017.

"The consistent increases in passenger volume affirm what we are doing to develop Ontario into a world-class gateway and create a first-rate airport experience," said Alan D. Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA). "Our customers demand a smooth, hassle-free experience along with popular services and amenities, and we are dedicated to meeting their expectations."

In the first eight months of 2018, more than 3.3 million travelers moved through ONT, an increase of 13.2% over the same period a year ago.

“As strong as these numbers are, they’re going to get even better in the months ahead as we’ve added flights and amenities,” said OIAA Commissioner Jim Bowman.

August saw the start of Frontier Airlines’ daily, non-stop service to Orlando. Earlier this month, JetBlue launched nonstop service to New York’s JFK Airport. ONT also recently completed multi-million upgrades of the airport’s dining and retail concessions which brought such popular eateries as Einstein Bros Bagels, Rock & Brews and Wolfgang Puck’s WPizza.

The airport’s air cargo business also continues to grow. Commercial freight and mail rose by 17.6% in August to more than 68,000 tons, up from 58,000 in August last year. From January through August, cargo tonnage increased by more than 18%, up to 483,000 tons from 408,000 tons over the same period in 2017.