Air travelers making final trips this summer will have plenty of company at Southern California's Ontario International Airport (ONT) over the Labor Day weekend.

According to ONT officials, the number of domestic and international travelers combined will be more than 77,000 from September 1 through September 5, 6% higher than the same holiday period last year and 4.3% more than 2019.

"It has been a great summer at Ontario International as travelers returned to our airport in higher numbers, reaffirming our place as the gateway of choice for millions of Southern Californians. The Labor Day travel estimate certainly tracks with our summer forecast, which predicted that passenger volumes would continue to surpass pre-pandemic levels," said Atif Elkadi, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority. 

More than 1.7 million passengers were expected at ONT this summer, the busiest since 2008.

Elkadi noted that since the beginning of the pandemic, ONT has added new destinations including Charlotte, Honolulu and San Salvador. The airport now offers nonstop service to more than two dozen popular destinations.