Piedmont Triad – Officials at Piedmont Triad International Airport announced at the monthly Board Meeting today that more than 1 million passengers have boarded passenger aircraft at the airport, making 2019 the first year the airport has boarded more than 1 million passengers since the economic downturn began in 2008.
“We have boarded 1,078,247 million passengers in calendar year 2019,” said Kevin Baker, the airport’s executive director.
The last time that PTI enplaned more than one million passengers was 2008, when the airport boarded 1,109,100 passeners. At that time, a severe economic recession that affected airports nationwide forced passengers numbers down.
In recent years, PTI has seen a resurgence in passenger boardings. PTI’s year-to-date enplanements over the same period last year are up 14.8 percent, for example.
“This 1 million passenger milestone is good news for the airport and the Piedmont Triad region,” Baker said. “The growth in local passenger service can be attributed not only to a better economy and improved airline practices, but also to the fact that the Piedmont Triad is a growing region.”
The passenger numbers are not the only good news for PTI.
Cargo traffic at the airport is up 36 percent over the same period last year, thanks largely to added service at the Mid-Atlantic FedEx hub at the airport.
“The airport has had a good year in 2019,” Baker said. “We look forward to more good news in 2020.”