Passenger Traffic Rebounds Post-Pandemic
Access to an international airport provides ease of travel for county residents and visitors and supports the efficient movement of goods into and out of the county. Economic benefits include direct and indirect jobs and a range of aviation-related activities and services, which boost the region’s economic output. Further, there is an “economic multiplier” effect as dollars generated by airport-related activities are re-spent and circulated throughout the local economy. As such, Ontario International Airport (ONT) is among San Bernardino County’s most important economic drivers. This indicator tracks passenger and freight volumes at ONT.
TREND
The COVID-19 pandemic suppressed air travel across the globe, but ONT passenger travel has rebounded and now exceeds pre-pandemic levels. The increase was most notable between 2020 and 2022, when passenger traffic grew by 128%, including 28% over the past year, illustrating the vigor of the post-pandemic rebound. Overall, passenger travel volume increased 34% over the past decade (2012-2022).
Prior to travel restrictions stemming from the pandemic in 2020, ONT had been experiencing strong growth in both freight and passenger volume. Although ONT passenger travel increased 9% between 2018 and 2019, it dropped 55% between 2019 and 2020 as a result of stay-at-home orders and reduced travel due to the COVID-19 crisis. The drop in passenger air travel was most notable in April 2020, when 28,916 people traveled compared to 444,948 in April 2019. In contrast, freight traffic grew 18% in 2020, potentially fueled by increased online shopping as a result of the pandemic. However, since 2020, freight volume has decreased by 8%, including a 4% annual decrease over the past year. Overall, freight traffic has grown 87% over the past decade, with marked growth through 2020.
ONT continued to fortify its role as a major global supply chain hub in recent years, including a $290 million FedEx Express project, a UPS Western Regional Air Hub processing over 400,000 packages daily, and expansion of Amazon warehousing in Ontario. The economic impact of Ontario International Airport in 2022 is estimated at $3.8 billion, supporting $2.2 billion in GDP and 27,800 jobs.
CURRENT PASSENGER VOLUME EXCEEDS PRE-PANDEMIC TOTALS
Annual Passenger and Freight Volume, Ontario Airport, 2012-2022
SBD: Growing Economic Force in the Region
The San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) is overseen by the San Bernardino International Airport Authority, a regional joint powers agency formed in 1992 and comprised of the cities of Colton, Highland, Loma Linda, San Bernardino, and San Bernardino County. This agency is dedicated to the reuse of Norton Air Force Base and envisions SBD as a major economic engine for the region.
Since its inception, SBD services continue to grow. Most notably, SBD is an air cargo hub, with volume growth that has outpaced cargo growth nationally. In 2020 SBD was the 59th busiest cargo airport in the country, and in 2021 the landed weight of air cargo aircraft at SBD reached 872 million pounds.
Passenger service was added in August of 2022 and as of February 2023 includes direct service to San Francisco, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Hartford, CT. In addition to cargo and passenger service, SBD offers maintenance, repair and overhaul services, general aviation services, and commercial passenger charter services.
In terms of overall economic impact as of the end of 2021, a total of 17,129 jobs had been created in partnership with the Inland Valley Development Agency, resulting in more than $3.6 billion in direct, indirect, and induced economic impact.