Business

Passenger traffic at AVL climbs by 7%

Ultra-low cost carrier Allegiant Travel Company, one of the Asheville airport’s newest partners, boosted air travel in 2013.

By Bill Moss, Published: February 7, 2014

The Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority reported a 7 percent increase in passenger traffic in 2013 and the third highest number of total passengers in the past decade.
In 2013, the airport reported seven consecutive months of increased traffic from June through December, with December 2013 showing a 28 percent increase in traffic over December 2012. The upswing in traffic can be credited to new routes, added available seats and the region's strong use of the local airport.
Ultra-low cost carrier Allegiant Travel Company, one of the airport's newest partners, boosted air travel. It added two new non-stop flights to Florida, debuting flights to St. Petersburg in June and to Ft. Myers, Fla. in October.
Other partner airlines increased the number of seats available on existing flights by more than 15 percent during some summer and fall months. Residents choosing to fly local are another contributing factor, keeping planes full.
"Any year where the traffic percentages have increased is positive but to show a trend that we are growing over time is meaningful," Lew Bleiweis, executive director of Asheville Regional Airport, said in a news release. "Airlines have realized that we have a strong demand for air service in this market and we are seeing full flights."