CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Enplanement numbers are improving at Yeager Airport to end 2020 but officials understand the only way is up from where the facility was mid-2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Charleston airport, like most airports across the country, saw record low enplanement numbers when the pandemic hit in March.
The holiday travel season has breathed new air into the airport, according to Public Affairs Manager Chris Williams.
“It felt busy, it felt normal. You saw a lot of people going through the checkpoint and waiting at the gate,” Williams said.
He credited the airport’s messaging and cleaning services during the pandemic as part of the increase of the public’s trust in traveling during the holiday season.
According to Williams, the airport averaged almost 400 people traveling per day from Dec. 22 to Dec. 28, the week of Christmas. On Christmas Day, 135 traveled at Yeager Airport, the lowest number of the week with the highest being 415 on Sunday.
Compared to Christmas week 2019, the airport averaged around 800 enplanements per day.
Williams said the current numbers are welcoming compared to mid-April of this year when Yeager Airport saw only 15 to 30 people flying per day on two to five flights, a 95 percent passenger decline.
“In terms of 2020, the COVID world we live in now that is a big number for us,” Williams said of Christmas week flying numbers.
The Transportation Security Administration reported screening nearly 1.3 million people at airports nationwide on Sunday. That number would mark a new air travel record during the pandemic, the most people to fly nationwide since March 15.
Williams hopes the holiday travel, improvements on traveler safety and hopes of a COVID-19 vaccine for the general public in the coming months will spring the airport in 2021. The airport received nearly $5 million in April through the CARES Act.
“We have a lot of exciting things happening at the airport. Travel numbers are not going to bounce back overnight, it’ll take a couple of years,” Williams said.
“We think in 2021, we will definitely be able to add more things back and our passenger numbers will continue to increase.”
2020 was a challenging year for everyone. We look forward to seeing many of our passengers return in 2021! ✈️ pic.twitter.com/kJcv5uiMR2
— Yeager Airport (@YeagerAirport) December 29, 2020