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.
Business and tourism travel through Arkansas’ three largest commercial airports slowed in June, with only one of the three airports posting a positive enplanement number for the month. However, two of the three airports had enplanement gains for the first half of the year.
Enplanements at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) totaled 314,684 for the first six months of 2015, up 1.85% 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 63,295 enplanements in June, down 2.66% compared to June 2014. It’s the second consecutive month of declines for the airport.
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 44,852 for the first six months of 2015, up just 0.27% compared to the 44,730 enplanement during the same period in 2014. Enplanements at Fort Smith totaled 92,869 in 2014, up 9.87% compared to 2013.
June enplanements at Fort Smith totaled 8,787, up 4.69% from June 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 474,675 for the first six months of 2015, down 7.83% compared to the same period in 2015. 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.
June enplanements in Little Rock totaled 94,844, down 4.32% compared to June 2014.
NATIONAL TRAFFIC, SUMMER TRAVEL ESTIMATE
Airlines for America, the trade association for most of the major airlines, predicts summer airline travel (June 1 - Aug. 31) will increase 4.6% in the U.S. compared to actual traffic in the 2014 period. According to the trade group, an estimated 2.4 million people a day will fly on U.S. carriers during the summer period. The group predicted Spring travel would rise to its highest mark in seven years, reaching 132.2 million passengers during June and April.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, passenger air transportation activity in the U.S. during the first quarter was up 3.9% after declining 2.2% in the fourth quarter of 2014. Overall, real spending (economic output) on travel and tourism slowed in the first quarter of 2015 to a 2% pace of growth after posting a revised 4.9% rate in the fourth quarter of 2014
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