Surge in international travel propelled Ontario International Airport to record year in 2025

Ontario International Airport (ONT) is making a compelling case for itself as the new global gateway for Los Angeles by posting a record number of international travelers in 2025, the result of expanded nonstop service to Latin America and Asia.

According to data released by the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA), ONT welcomed 567,000 international passengers last year, a nearly 30% increase over 2024. The sharp rise helped the airport surpass 7.1 million passengers overall for the year, the fifth consecutive year of post-pandemic passenger growth and the highest number since ONT’s transfer to local control in 2016.

“As a vital gateway for Southern California, Ontario International Airport marked another milestone year in 2025 demonstrating our capacity to meet growing air travel demand while many California airports continued to work toward full recovery,” said Alan D. Wapner, President of the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) Board of Commissioners. “We are particularly gratified by the growth in international travel. Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest air travel market in the United

States and the sixth-largest in the world. A region of this scale merits more than one global

gateway, and Ontario International is stepping up to meet that demand by delivering a world- class customer experience defined by convenience and the infrastructure necessary to support continued growth.”

As ONT celebrates its Decade of Local Control, the airport’s performance is gaining attention for its robust increases in passenger and cargo volume of 67% and 45%, respectively, with the number of nonstop passenger destinations growing from 13 to 31 since 2016. The number of daily flight departures also rose from 58 to 90.

The 2025 passenger count of 7.1 million represented a 0.4% increase over 2024. The total included 6.5 million domestic passengers and 566,923 international guests, the latter representing an increase of 29.2%.

The top five air carriers for 2025 based on passenger volume share were:

1. Southwest Airlines (36.6%)
2. American Airlines (15.6%)
3. Frontier Airlines (10.4%)
4. Delta Air Lines (9.7%)
5. United Airlines (9.5%)

“As international passenger volumes have continued to grow, Ontario International has strategically expanded its airport offerings, including the addition of two new passenger lounges, a duty-free retail store, and enhanced in-terminal dining and retail concessions,” said Atif Elkadi, OIAA’s chief executive officer.

Moreover, Elkadi added, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) transitioned ONT to a designated Landing Rights Airport, enabling the federal agency to increase its service levels at ONT through its annual budget set by Congress. Previously, ONT was a User Free Facility which required the airport to fund CBP operations from fees collected from ONT airlines.

Air cargo tonnage, meanwhile, increased 5.3% year over year, led by greater U.S. mail volumes carried by UPS Airlines. Mail shipments doubled in 2025 while the volume of commercial freight declined slightly by 3.6%.

“Ontario International continues to provide exceptional customer service and first-rate facilities to our shipping partners. We proudly serve as the gold standard among Southern California cargo destinations and constantly strive to exceed our own high expectations,” Elkadi said.