FORT WAYNE – Air travel at Fort Wayne International Airport saw only minimal growth in 2011, but officials countered that maintaining level activity is a sign of success in a skittish industry and economy.
Total departing passengers grew by 0.3 percent last year over 2010, according to data released at Monday’s Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority board meeting. The total was 4.4 percent higher than in 2009.
Dave Young, the airport’s vice president of air service development, said the airport had its best fourth quarter since 2007, and total air service mirrored that of 2006. It would be difficult to increase total passengers leaving the city – the statistic most often used to measure an airport’s health – without also adding more flights, according to Young.
He said in December flights leaving the Summit City were 77 percent full and Allegiant Airlines flights were 97 percent packed.
“We’ve got need here,” he said. “We need seats.”
Getting added service, however, will be difficult as airlines battle rising fuel prices and an uncertain national economy. Young said airlines are simply not adding flights without also eliminating them. Other airports are seeing several flights end, while Fort Wayne is able to at least maintain what it can offer passengers.
“Any maintaining of the status quo is a small victory,” he said.
Young said he believes 2012 will be fairly similar to last year.
