Airport traffic increases again

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

By MARIAN ACCARDI

Times Business Writer marian.accardi@htimes.com

Number of passengers in September rises 12 percent

Passenger traffic at Huntsville International Airport was up again in September, increasing 12 percent compared to last September.

The number of passengers so far in 2007 - 915,588 - is 5.6 percent higher than at this point in 2006.

Airport director Rick Tucker called September "a great month" for the airport. "We're excited about (traffic) continuing to grow" with some help from low-fare carrier Allegiant Air, which started nonstop jet service to Las Vegas on Sept. 21.

Allegiant will also add direct flights to Orlando starting Nov. 8 and to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., beginning Dec. 13.

"We're expecting to finish up the 2007 year very strong," Tucker said Tuesday at a meeting of the Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority.

The number of passengers flying into and out of the airport in September was 100,043.

Tucker said that airline delays and other consumer issues were addressed at a recent hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation. "Congress is putting pressure on the airlines" to take action to improve on-time performance, Tucker said.

"We've had a number of complaints" about flight delays here, he said. If there's any consolation to Huntsville passengers, it is that the delays are "a national problem."

According to figures from the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the Huntsville airport's on-time rate for departures was 78 percent and the on-time rate for arrivals was 72 percent for the period of Sept. 2006 through Aug. 2007. Those figures were based on nine carriers reporting.

"The delays that are occurring (for Huntsville passengers) are because of congestion at other locations" like major hubs in Chicago or Atlanta, Tucker said.

The airport authority on Tuesday authorized the sale of about 17 acres in Jetplex Industrial Park North to Airport Distribution Center LLC at a price of $52,000 an acre. A 208,000-square-foot distribution center is to be built on the tract.

The project is located west of a center of the same size that was also developed by Graham & Co. Inc., a Birmingham-based commercial real estate and development firm.



Airport traffic increases again Wednesday, October 10, 2007 By MARIAN ACCARDI Times Business Writer marian.accardi@htimes.com Number of passengers in September rises 12 percent Passenger traffic at Huntsville International Airport was up again in September, increasing 12 percent compared to last September. The number of passengers so far in 2007 - 915,588 - is 5.6 percent higher than at this point in 2006. Airport director Rick Tucker called September "a great month" for the airport. "We're excited about (traffic) continuing to grow" with some help from low-fare carrier Allegiant Air, which started nonstop jet service to Las Vegas on Sept. 21. Allegiant will also add direct flights to Orlando starting Nov. 8 and to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., beginning Dec. 13. "We're expecting to finish up the 2007 year very strong," Tucker said Tuesday at a meeting of the Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority. The number of passengers flying into and out of the airport in September was 100,043. Tucker said that airline delays and other consumer issues were addressed at a recent hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation. "Congress is putting pressure on the airlines" to take action to improve on-time performance, Tucker said. "We've had a number of complaints" about flight delays here, he said. If there's any consolation to Huntsville passengers, it is that the delays are "a national problem." According to figures from the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the Huntsville airport's on-time rate for departures was 78 percent and the on-time rate for arrivals was 72 percent for the period of Sept. 2006 through Aug. 2007. Those figures were based on nine carriers reporting. "The delays that are occurring (for Huntsville passengers) are because of congestion at other locations" like major hubs in Chicago or Atlanta, Tucker said. The airport authority on Tuesday authorized the sale of about 17 acres in Jetplex Industrial Park North to Airport Distribution Center LLC at a price of $52,000 an acre. A 208,000-square-foot distribution center is to be built on the tract. The project is located west of a center of the same size that was also developed by Graham & Co. Inc., a Birmingham-based commercial real estate and development firm. © 2007 The Huntsville Times © 2007 al.com All Rights Reserved.