A record-breaking 406,373 passengers passed through the gates at the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport in 2011, officials confirmed this week.
That represents a nearly 10 percent increase from 2010, when the airport saw 366,631 passengers. Passenger traffic bottomed out in the 2009 fiscal year, when 347,441 people passed through CHO.
“When I first got here, we just had Piedmont Airlines here,” said Bill Pahuta, the airport’s interim executive director. Pahuta is in his 37th year with CHO.
“I think this last recession … we saw the biggest dent [in passengers] … It affected every market in the country and Charlottesville was no exception. But I think we bounced back quicker than others.”
Today, the airport has four airlines — USAirways, Delta, American Eagle and United. CHO lost Northwest in 2010, but gained American Eagle last year, which helped bring the numbers back, according to Jason Burch, the airport’s director of air service and marketing.
“Every year, there’s a new dynamic to the numbers,” Burch said, adding that airline mergers typically affect regional airports like CHO more than larger airports.
Bill Schrader, a member of the airport’s advisory joint commission, praised the airport’s staff and leadership for the accomplishment coming off the height of the recession.
“The management of the airport has done a tremendous job of reaching out … to make sure that all the travel departments [at local businesses] all know what CHO has to offer,” Schrader said.
Like many other industries in the area, higher education, medicine, federal workers and the healthcare industry are the airport’s sustaining forces. Burch said they monitor what’s going on at the University of Virginia and about 15 major employers in the area to help govern their decisions on air service.
Schrader said he thinks several factors are behind the record-breaking numbers in 2011 — the addition of American’s service and a number of airline mergers and acquisitions, which have freed resources and larger aircraft to service smaller airports. Most passenger service at CHO is provided by 50-seat regional jets, although the airport is capable of handling much larger aircraft.
“We’ve been the beneficiary of receiving some larger planes that have helped us so that people are not restricted on the number of seats that are available,” Schrader said. “American has been very happy with the volume of traffic between here and Chicago,” he continued. When it comes to numbers, “Everything we’d told them before they started has come to fruition.”
The airport had a $128.7 million impact on the local economy, directly or indirectly supporting 1,267 jobs in 2010, according to a statewide industry analysis published earlier this year by the Virginia Department of Aviation.
Burch and Schrader said they think CHO’s prices are very competitive when travelers consider the big picture, which includes the cost of driving to Dulles or Richmond, traffic, tolls and parking.
Runway extension
According to the airport’s leadership, a key element to sustainable growth at the airport, an 800-foot runway extension, should be completed in June. The project will bring the total length of the airport’s single runway to 6,800 feet.
The longer runway will allow planes with more passengers to use CHO. Hot and humid weather conditions reduce aircraft performance, meaning planes need either a longer runway or lighter load to operate safely.
The addition of a parallel taxiway, lighting and painting upgrades will complete the $40 million project, although a timetable for those features hasn’t been determined. The project is, however, about a year ahead of schedule, according to Pahuta.
And in addition to improving the airport’s passenger capacity, Schrader said the extended runway also builds in a measure of safety because new aviation navigation and monitoring equipment is part of the upgrade.
Executive director search
Pahuta joined the airport nearly 40 years ago as a public safety officer. He worked his way through the ranks to become the airport’s deputy executive director and assumed the role of interim executive director last month when Barbara Hutchinson stepped down after more than 20 years with the airport. Hutchinson had served as executive director since 2007.
The airport authority board will oversee the process of selecting a new executive director. Pahuta said he expects the board, with input from the airport commission, to hire a firm to conduct a nationwide search.
“I’ve been fortunate that I’ve gotten to be a part of all the growth,” Pahuta said, reflecting on his long tenure. “I was at the right place at the right time to experience all the growth and that experience is invaluable, really.”
Although they’ve experienced tangible growth, Burch said they’re prepared to adapt to whatever might be on the horizon.
“At this point, air service development is all about retention. That does not mean we’re not looking at where we need to go next.”
By the numbers
Passenger traffic statistics for the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport by fiscal year:
2011: 406,373
2010: 366, 631
2009: 347,441
2008: 355,176
2007: 363,998
SOURCE: Charlottesville Albemarle Airport
No comments:
Post a Comment