Air cargo volumes at Ontario International Airport (ONT) — one of the busiest cargo airports in the country — continue to exceed levels seen in 2019 before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic which decimated most of the aviation industry.

In a statement, the Canadian airport reported that air cargo shipments totalled more than 68,500 tons in October, a nearly 1% gain compared with October 2019.

From January through October, ONT's shipments of freight and mail were more than 687,000 tons, nearly 10% greater than the same period in 2019.

"Ontario International plays a critical role in one of the world's most robust supply chain hubs, creating jobs and economic opportunities across the Inland Empire and throughout Southern California," said Atif Elkadi, OIAA chief executive officer.

Elkadi pointed to a newly released study by Oxford Economics which showed Ontario International generating US$3.8 billion in annual economic activity, supporting 27,800 jobs and serving as the hub of a logistics network that produces US$17.8 billion in economic output.

 Source: Ontario International Airport (ONT)

Meanwhile, ONT welcomed more than 541,000 airline passengers in October – the highest total in a single month since its 2016 transfer to local ownership – and extended its run to better than pre-pandemic levels.

Through the first 10 months of the year, ONT served 4.75 million passengers, 4% more than the same period in 2019 and 33.7% higher than last year.