Ontario International Airport (ONT) welcomed almost 5.3 million passengers over the first nine months of 2026 and remains on pace for 7 million passengers over the full year. This represents a more than 65% increase in passenger volumes since 2016 when the airport transitioned to local control.
The Southern California aviation gateway reported more than 5,274,000 travelers from January through September 2026, essentially even with prior year. International passenger volumes were up nearly 28% from the year before.
“While passenger volumes declined 2.8% in September, our overall performance remains strong, with nearly 5.3 million travelers through the first nine months of the year and international traffic growing by almost 28%,” said Atif Elkadi, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority. “Airlines continue to adjust capacity in response to higher operating costs, and ONT is not immune to those industry pressures. However, the strength of our market and the progress we’ve made over the past decade give us every reason to remain confident. As we approach ten years of local control, our focus remains on expanding air service, enhancing the passenger experience and positioning ONT for continued growth.”
Ontario International saw more than 582,000 passengers in September, a slight decrease of 2.8% compared with the same month in 2025. International passenger volume grew by 5.4% to nearly 47,000.
The decrease in September volume is in line with a small reduction in available seats offered by airlines at ONT as they manage higher fuel costs.
| Passenger Totals | Sep 2026 | Sep 2025 | Change | YTD 2026 | YTD 2025 | Change |
| Domestic | 535,481 | 554,651 | -3.5% | 4,771,782 | 4,885,308 | -2.3% |
| International | 46,834 | 44,435 | 5.4% | 502,786 | 393,035 | 27.9% |
| Total | 582,315 | 599,086 | -2.8% | 5,274,568 | 5,278,343 | -0.1% |
Air carriers with the greatest passenger shares in September were:
- Southwest Airlines (36.5%)
- American Airlines (12.4%)
- Frontier Airlines (10.9%)
- United Airlines (10.9%)
- Alaska Airlines (9.8%)
Meanwhile, cargo shipments totaled more than 649,000 tons over the first nine months of 2026, a 7.3% increase over the same period in 2025. Cargo volume in September rose to more than 74,000 tons, a 13.2% increase over September last year. Commercial freight volume increased by 16.9% to more than 64,000 tons and shipments of mail declined by 6.5% to 9,700 tons.
| Air cargo (tonnage) | Sep 2026 | Sep 2025 | Change | YTD 2026 | YTD 2025 | Change |
| Freight | 64,485 | 55,143 | 16.9% | 558,195 | 507,031 | 10.1% |
| 9,767 | 10,443 | -6.5% | 90,838 | 98,064 | -7.4% | |
| Total | 74,251 | 65,587 | 13.2% | 649,034 | 605,095 | 7.3% |
Ontario International has outperformed air cargo hubs worldwide in 2026, which experienced more modest increases of 3% in September and 9% for the year-to-date.
