ONT freight grows 15% in March; passenger growth hits four-month streak

Inland Empire Business Journal: Ontario International Airport welcomed 574,819 passengers in March — 2.7% more than March 2025 and the fourth straight month of year-over-year passenger growth. First-quarter passenger volume hit 1.5 million, up 4.1% from Q1 2025. Domestic passenger volume was almost flat at 1.3 million. International travel jumped 58.4% in Q1 to 181,854 passengers.

Air freight grew 15.3% in March. Year-to-date freight tonnage is up 12.7%. Combined air cargo (freight plus mail) reached more than 208,000 tons in Q1 2026 — a 9.2% gain — even with mail volume down 8.6%.

OIAA CEO Atif Elkadi flagged uncertainty in the rest-of-year outlook, particularly around rising fuel costs.