Richmond International Airport sets annual passenger record

More travelers used Richmond International Airport in 2017 than ever before, the Capital Region Airport Commission reported at its Jan. 30 meeting.

The airport served 3,657,479 passengers last year, surpassing the previous all-time high of 3.63 million in 2007. The 2017 total also was a 2.8 percent increase from 2016.

“The momentum we saw in the final quarter of 2017 was unmistakable,” said commission chairman Aubrey Stanley. “Despite a few hurdles with an early December snowfall and the historic power outage at our second most popular destination, the year finished with three record months, allowing RIC to report its fifth consecutive year of growth, establish a new annual passenger traffic record, and set an optimistic tone for more good news in 2018.”

The airport established new monthly passenger records in each of the final three months of 2017. Delta Air Lines was the market share leader in December with a 32.5 share of passenger traffic, followed by American and United. Three airlines, United (up 19.1 percent), JetBlue (up 10.6 percent), and American (up 3.8 percent), reported growth in December.

For the year, total cargo handled at the airport amounted to 135.3 million pounds, a slight 0.6 percent increase versus 2016.  Aircraft operations increased two percent in 2017 to 96,583 operations.

From July through December – the first half of the commission's fiscal year – the airport's operating revenues totaled $23.5 million, greater than budget by $501,000 (or 3 percent). Operating expenses for the same period amount to $12.1 million, less than budget by $578 thousand (5 percent).