Airport experiences busiest November ever

Richmond International Airport experienced its busiest November on record last year, with a total of 316,622 passengers – exceeding the previous record for the month of 311,031 set in November 2007.

“Much as the economic news for the Richmond region has been favorable, the airport has consistently reported growth in activity,” said Capital Region Airport Commission president and CEO Jon E. Mathiasen. “We see continued strong demand for air travel, air carriers responding by increasing seat capacity at RIC, and – barring unforeseen hurdles – clear momentum heading into 2018.”

In November, the airport reported a 5.1 percent increase in total passengers compared with the same period a year ago.

Delta led all airlines with a 34.4 percent share of passengers carried. All major network carriers reported year-over-year gains, led by JetBlue (+12.5 percent). Through November, passenger traffic had increased 2.8 percent to 3,365,206.

Total cargo, measured as the sum of freight and mail, decreased 3.2 percent from November a year ago. Through November, total cargo at the airport was up 1.8 percent.

Aircraft operations increased 7.3 percent, with air carriers, general aviation and military operations all reporting growth versus a year ago.

Operations at RIC were up 1.0 percent through November compared with 2016 totals.

The good news came weeks after ultra-low cost carrier Spirit Airlines announced plans Nov. 14 to launch daily service from Richmond to Orlando and to Ft. Lauderdale beginning Mar. 15.

Allegiant also has increased its spring break flight frequency for Richmond-St. Pete/ Clearwater (Tampa Bay) to three weekly roundtrips, starting in late February.