Ontario International Airport recorded its strongest first half since local control returned, with international travel and cargo driving gains despite slightly lower domestic volumes.
Ontario International Airport (ONT) welcomed 3,412,579 air travellers during the first six months of 2026, a 1.9% increase from the same period last year and the highest half-year total in its decade of local control. The airport also handled 428,217 tons of air cargo, up 7.6% year on year. The figures show a mixed but positive pattern for the Southern California gateway, with growth concentrated in international passenger traffic and freight.
International travellers accounted for 346,219 passengers in the first half, an increase of 45.7% from 2025. Domestic passenger numbers, by contrast, fell 1.5% to 3,066,360. In June, total passenger traffic was broadly unchanged at 659,295, while international traffic rose 13.4% and domestic volumes declined 1.1%, according to the airport’s figures.
Cargo provided a second source of momentum. Freight tonnage reached 368,923 tons in the first six months, up 11.2%, while mail fell 10.3% to 59,294 tons; combined cargo therefore rose from 397,823 tons in the first half of 2025 to 428,217 tons this year. June freight increased 11.2% year on year, helping offset the decline in mail volumes.
The airport said the results reflected the confidence of its airline, shipping and passenger partners, while Alan D. Wapner, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority Board of Commissioners, attributed the performance to customer service and operational execution. Southwest Airlines held the largest share of June passengers at 36.5%, followed by American Airlines at 14.4%, Alaska Airlines at 10.7%, Frontier Airlines at 10.4% and Delta Air Lines at 9.3%.
Ontario International Airport serves more than 7 million passengers annually and offers nonstop service to two dozen major airports across the United States, Mexico, Central America and Taiwan, according to the release. Its first-half figures position international connectivity and air freight as the clearest areas of expansion in the latest reporting period, while domestic traffic remains comparatively softer. The balance will shape how the airport’s growth develops through the remainder of 2026.
