On Tuesday, June 25, Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTIA) released its latest numbers for flights in and out of PTIA and they show that the airport is continuing what has been a very positive trend lately in flights, passengers and cargo service.
The stats, which reflect airport traffic for the month of May 2019, were presented Tuesday at the June meeting of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority, the board that oversees airport operations. According to those numbers, for May, the number of passengers flying in and out of the airport was up over 16 percent when compared to May 2018. For the year to date – from January 1 through the end of May – the number of passengers at PTIA was up nearly 18 percent.
That upward growth reflected in the latest numbers comes on the heels of similarly impressive numbers for the airport in recent years. While the number of passengers using PTIA pales in comparison to those using Raleigh-Durham International and Charlotte-Douglas International airports, PTIA has been seeing steady increases, with airlines adding more flights and with more passengers choosing the hassle-free – if somewhat pricier – flights out of PTIA.
Recent airport ad campaigns have focused on the fact that lines are shorter, parking is cheaper and it’s just plain easier to fly in and out of the airport that serves this area.
Another very positive trend found in the new data deals with cargo flights. This May, those flights at PTIA were up 66 percent over May of last year. The year to date increase is almost identical – 65 percent.
While the new numbers are very good for PTIA, some people, who live around the airport and don’t like the noise from above, don’t really appreciate the increasing number of flights. Though they may not like it, they can at least offer some input this week. PTIA officials will hold an “open house style” public workshop on a new airport noise study on Thursday, June 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. That workshop, which will be held at the Greensboro-High Point Marriott Airport at 1 Marriott Drive, will include information on aircraft noise and an overview of PTIA’s noise study project schedule. Those interested can pop in anytime between 5 and 7 p.m. to browse the information boards and discuss the study with airport staff and consultants.
There are likely to be even more flights on the way. The same set of numbers released this week state that the airlines serving the airport are expected to have about 10 percent more flights at PTIA this August than they did in August of last year.
