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 travellers 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.
Alan D. Wapner, President of the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) Board of Commissioners, said: “As a vital gateway for Southern California, Ontario International Airport marked another milestone year in 202,5 demonstrating our capacity to meet growing air travel demand while many California airports continued to work toward full recovery.
“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%.
|
Passenger Totals |
Dec 2025 |
Dec 2024 |
Change |
YTD 2025 |
YTD 2024 |
Change |
|
Domestic |
541,986 |
566,192 |
-4.3 % |
6,549,812 |
6,645,968 |
-1.4 % |
|
International |
63,009 |
37,694 |
67.2 % |
566,923 |
438,896 |
29.2 % |
|
Total |
604,995 |
603,886 |
0.2 % |
7,116,735 |
7,084,864 |
0.4 % |
The top five air carriers for 2025 based on passenger volume share were:
- Southwest Airlines (36.6%)
- American Airlines (15.6%)
- Frontier Airlines (10.4%)
- Delta Air Lines (9.7%)
- United Airlines (9.5%)
Atif Elkadi, OIAA’s chief executive officer, said: “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.”
