If the numbers keep pace, T.F. Green Airport is on track to break its all-time high for number of passengers in a year.
In January and February of this year, more passengers flew out of Green than in the same two-month span during the airport’s best year four years ago.
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The most successful year to date was in 2001 when 5,530,393 passengers used the airport. More than 5.5 million total passengers flew out of Green last year, a 6.43 percent increase over 2003 and its second-best year ever.
In January, 380,622 passengers traveled through the airport and 396,578 went through in February. In January 2001, the number was 378,388; February 2001, it hit 390,026 passengers.
The success is attributed to a number of factors including the addition of two low-fare carriers and a substantial increase in the number of departing flights – notably to Philadelphia and Washington Dulles markets, where daily departures more than doubled as a result of competition on those routes.
“Whenever you have more frequency, nonstop service and competitive fares, the numbers increase,” said Patti Goldstein, vice president for public affairs for the Rhode Island Airport Corporation.
While Green celebrated its second-best year in 2004, its competitor to the north, Manchester Airport in New Hampshire, had its best year ever, surpassing 4 million passengers for the first time in its history, said Assistant Airport Director Brian O’Neil.
In 2004, Manchester welcomed 4,300,307 passengers – an 11.7 percent increase from 2003.
January 2005 is up 9.2 percent from last year with 277,827 passengers and February is up 4.9 percent from 2004 with 307,354 passengers, which is low because school vacation travelers didn’t return until March, O’Neil said.
“There is enough of a market now for the numbers to increase in all the (New England regional) airports,” Goldstein said.
