06-23-2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Airport Stats Continue to Reflect Difficult Industry Conditions

COLUMBUS – Sluggish national and international economies continue to impact Port Columbus International Airport and Rickenbacker International Airport, both of which reported a decline in activity for the month of May.

Statistics released at today’s meeting of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority Board of Directors show that in May Port Columbus had an 11.5 percent drop in passengers compared to the previous year. A total of 525,612 passengers traveled through Port Columbus in May as compared to 594,247 in May 2008. Year-to-date 2,443,873 passengers have used Port Columbus, down 19.2 percent from 2008.

“While passenger numbers remain down for the year, some airlines have added flights,” explained David Whitaker, Vice President of Business Development & Communications. “In early June Delta Air Lines added an eighth daily flight to Atlanta, Northwest added a fourth daily flight to Minneapolis and American Airlines added a fifth daily flight to Dallas. We feel this is a strong sign that Central Ohio remains a valuable market for our airlines, even in these difficult industry conditions.”

Port Columbus provides 155 daily departures to 33 airports. The 10 air carriers at Port Columbus include Air Canada Jazz, AirTran, American, Continental, Delta, Midwest Connect, Northwest, Southwest, United, US Airways and the regional affiliates associated with many of these major airlines.

At Rickenbacker International Airport over 13.5 million pounds of cargo moved through the airport in May, which equates to a 21 percent drop compared to May 2008. Year-to-date cargo numbers reflect the movement of 66.1 million pounds, which is down 22 percent from the previous year. Rickenbacker is a multi-modal cargo airport that features an impressive network of freight forwarders and cargo airlines such as FedEx, UPS, Evergreen International, Kalitta and Atlas as well as a U.S. Foreign-Trade Zone. In addition to the airport’s cargo service, the Rickenbacker Charter Terminal offers twice weekly passenger service on Direct Air to Myrtle Beach. The airline recently extended its service through November 14.

For additional information, visit www.ColumbusAirports.com or contact Angie Tabor, Manager of Communications, at (614) 239-4081.

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