News

AVL breaks records for summer travelers

By Bill Moss, Published: October 27, 2016

Asheville Regional Airport broke records for serving passengers this summer and continued to see strong growth even in the historical slowdown when schools reopen, the airport said in a news release.

June, July and August numbers were up year/year by 2.2%, 4.8% and 6.7% respectively. And in what is normally a "shoulder season" month, September airport use was up 16 percent over 2015, with 77,428 total passengers served.

"Air service at AVL is strong, and growing," Lew Bleiweis, A.A.E. executive director, said in a news release. "All four airlines at AVL - Allegiant, American, Delta and United - have a solid number of seats for sale in our market, they offer excellent connectivity to the world, and passengers are buying tickets."

Ticket sales are up for all airlines at AVL. Additionally, Allegiant is continuing to grow in the western North Carolina market, having added a new non-stop service to the D.C. area and more frequent flights to destinations in Florida. A new non-stop to the New York City market will start on Nov. 17. Looking ahead, Delta and United also plan increases in seats for sale to and from AVL in October through December, compared to the same period last year, with United boosting frequencies to both Chicago O'Hare International and Newark Liberty International.