Ontario International Airport (ONT) reported another month of cargo decline in August, reflecting a global slowdown in air freight volumes still driven by continued global economic uncertainties.
ONT said commercial cargo shipments remained lower as volume declined 12.9% in August and 11.6% over the first eight months of the year.
Shipments of commercial freight and mail totalled 62,447 tons last month, compared to the 71,700 tons recorded during the same month in 2022.
August's air cargo performance, however, is higher than the 56,359 tons recorded in July and the 61,670 tons in June.
It is also higher than May's 61,000 tons of air cargo tonnage.
Year-to-date (YTD) air cargo volumes totalled 484,962 tons in August 2023, lower than the 548,587 tons recorded during the same period in 2022.
"Global economic issues continue to impact cargo volumes at US airports," ONT said.
Air cargo (tonnage) |
Aug 2023 |
Aug 2022 |
Change |
YTD 2023 |
YTD 2022 |
Change |
Freight |
59,318 |
67,214 |
-11.75% |
450,659 |
511,723 |
-11.9% |
|
3,130 |
4,487 |
-30.25% |
34,302 |
36,863 |
-6.9% |
Total |
62,447 |
71,700 |
-12.91% |
484,962 |
548,587 |
-11.6% |
Source: Ontario International Airport
"We remain confident in our modern, first-rate cargo facilities, and we look forward to continuing to be the premier gateway for Southern California when cargo volumes return to historical growth patterns," said Atif Elkadi, chief executive officer of Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA).