WARWICK – Passenger traffic at T.F. Green Airport (PVD) fell sharply last month, the R.I. Airport Corporation said in its monthly report. Cargo traffic at the airport also fell in January, as both freight and mail shipments declined.
Total passenger traffic at the airport in January traditionally has lagged that in the preceding December. But this time, it also lagged year-ago levels – as passenger traffic at the airport did last year in every month but February. (READ MORE)
Last month, 310,211 air travelers passed through T.F. Green, 10.19 percent fewer than the 345,422 passengers the airport saw in the first month of 2008. (READ MORE) The number of passengers boarding planes at T.F. Green in January fell 10.96 percent to 157,477 from the year-ago 176,863.
Compared with December – when 339,319 travelers passed through the airport and 172,106 were enplaned at T.F. Green – total passenger traffic fell 8.58 percent last month and the number of passengers boarding planes fell 8.50 percent.
Southwest Airlines remained the largest carrier by passenger volume, with 166,373 local passengers or 53.9 percent of last month’s total. US Airways was No. 2, with 68,672 passengers and a market share of 22.1 percent. Next were United Airlines with 24,531 passengers, or 7.9 percent; Delta Airlines with 19,367, or 6.2 percent; Continental Airlines with 15,163, or 4.9 percent; Northwest Airlines with 15,039, or 4.9 percent; charters, which carried 578 local passengers or 0.2 percent; and Air Canada, with 488 passengers or 0.2 percent.
Meanwhile, total cargo shipments through T.F. Green fell 58.15 percent to more than 1.40 million pounds from the January 2008 total of more than 3.35 million. Freight shipments led the decline, falling 62.96 percent year over year to 967,673 pounds, while January mail shipments through the airport fell 41.15 percent to 434,249 pounds.
The R.I. Airport Corporation (RIAC) is a quasi-public organization, based at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, that oversees Green and the state’s five general aviation airports. Additional information is available at www.pvdairport.com.
