Editor’s note: This story is a component of The Compass Report. The quarterly Compass Report is managed by The City Wire, and sponsored by Arvest Bank. Supporting sponsors of The Compass Report are Cox Communications and the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Airport traffic in Northwest Arkansas and Fort Smith is back on a positive track in April after a March decline. However, traffic at the Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock – Arkansas’ largest commercial airport – continues to decline and is on a trend that could result in three consecutive years of declines.
Enplanements at XNA totaled 193,641 in the January-April period, up 4.28% compared to the same period in 2014. XNA ended 2014 with 640,537 enplanements, up 10.15% over 2013, and more than the record of 598,886 enplanements in 2007. The 2014 gain also marked the third consecutive year of increased traffic at the airport.
XNA had 54,027 enplanements in April, up 4.41% compared to April 2014. April enplanements also set a record for the month.
The airport is served by five airlines that provide connections to 10 U.S. cities. XNA’s first full year of traffic was 1999, and the airport posted eight consecutive years of enplanement gains before seeing a decline in 2008.
Enplanements at the Fort Smith Regional Airport total 28.377 for the first four months of 2015, up 1.46% compared to the same period in 2014. Enplanements at Fort Smith totaled 92,869 in 2014, up 9.87% compared to 2013.
April enplanements at Fort Smith totaled 7,466, up 2.63% from April 2014. The airport offers flights to Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth through Delta and American Airlines.
The Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock posted enplanements of 210,287 for the first quarter of 2015, down 9.12% compared to the same period in 2014. (The airport did not have April enplanement data as of May 20.) The airport was the only one of Arkansas’ largest commercial airports to not post an enplanement increase in 2014. Enplanements in 2014 totaled 1.038 million, down 4.32% compared to 2013.
March enplanements in Little Rock were 79,689, down 9.73% compared to March 2014.
NATIONAL TRENDS
Airline traffic is expected to reach new records this summer, according to Airlines for America, the trade group representing major airlines. The group said May 18 that summer 2015 air travel (June 1 - Aug. 31) is projected to rise 4.5% and reach an average of 2.4 million passengers a day – an increase of 104,000 passengers a day. Airlines are planning to boost seat availability by 4.6% to meet the demand, said the trade group.
“The continued rise in U.S. consumer sentiment and employment is leading to more people traveling more often, and air travel remains one of the best consumer bargains in America,” John Heimlich, A4A vice president and chief economist, said in this report. “With 13 of the 15 busiest air travel days of the year falling in the summer months, U.S. airlines are well-prepared to accommodate the increased travel demand by adding flights and seats, and deploying new and larger aircraft, along with a boost in staffing to enhance the customer experience.”
Heimlich also said February 2015 was the 15th consecutive month of employment gains at U.S. airlines, having added nearly 9,500 jobs over the past five years.
ENPLANEMENT HISTORY (Fort Smith Regional Airport, since 2000)
2014: 92,869
2013: 84,520
2012: 86,653
2011: 86,234
2010: 86,129
2009: 78,432
2008: 87,030
2007: 99,127
2006: 94,717
2005: 102,607
2004: 92,928
2003: 90,493
2002: 87,944
2001: 95,419
2000: 104,182
ENPLANEMENT HISTORY (Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, since 2000)
2014: 640,537
2013: 581,487
2012: 565,045
2011: 562,747
2010: 570,625
2009: 540,918
2008: 571,845
2007: 598,886
2006: 586,320
2005: 583,940
2004: 511,714
2003: 448,228
2002: 400,063
2001: 374,122
2000: 367,157