Business

Asheville again breaks record for passengers

Allegiant Air has continued to grow in this market.

By Lightning Reports, Published: March 4, 2016

Asheville Regional Airport served a record number of passengers in 2015, breaking the record it had set the previous year.

The airport logged 392,713 passengers boarding and 394,324 passengers deplaning for an overall 4 percent increase compared to 2014.
The air service offerings at AVL have changed in the past few years. The airport continues to be served with a strong number of frequent daily flights to major hubs offered by legacy airlines American, Delta and United. At the same time, discount carrier Allegiant Air has continued to grow its presence in the market. In 2015, Allegiant added a fifth non-stop destination (Palm Beach International Airport) and designated AVL as a hub of operations, basing two aircraft, crews and a maintenance facility at the airport.
AVL was identified as the best connected non-hub airport in America in 2013 by MIT’s International Center for Air Transportation and has enjoyed continued growth since that time, now classified by the Federal Aviation Administration as a small-hub airport. Seats in the market have been strong, and a look ahead shows continued growth on the horizon, beginning with Allegiant’s new non-stop service to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in May.
Flights and airlines available from Asheville Regional Airport include:
• Allegiant - 2-5 weekly flights to each of the following: Baltimore (D.C. Area) - starting May 19, 2016, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Palm Beach, Punta Gorda and St. Pete-Clearwater (Tampa Bay Area)
• American - 6-8 daily flights to Charlotte
• Delta - 6-8 daily flights to Atlanta; limited summer service to New York City (LaGuardia)
• United - 1-3 daily flights to Chicago; 1-2 daily flights to the New York City area, seasonal (Newark)