T.F. Green’s traffic up in May,<br> but still trailing 2007

Passenger traffic at T.F. Green Airport rose in May for the fourth straight month, but continued to lag year-ago levels, according to the latest figures from the R.I. Airport Corporation. Freight and mail traffic fell last month, erasing their April gains.
For the first time this year, the airport exceeded its 2007 monthly average of 418,278 total passengers and 209,155 passengers boarded. But T.F. Green’s January through May passenger total of 1.93 million lagged the year-ago total by 1.6 percent, while the 969,861 passengers enplaned in the first five months of the year fell 1.1 percent short of the year-ago figure.
The total number of passengers passing through T.F. Green rose 4.0 percent in May – to 429,003 passengers, from 412,471 the month before – after rising 4.8 percent in April.
Compared with the May 2007 total of 443,630, however, total passenger traffic fell 3.3 percent, accelerating from April’s 0.4-percent decline.
The total number of passengers boarding planes at the airport rose 2.7 percent last month – to 211,244 passengers, from 205,645 the month before – after rising 5.2 percent in April. Compared with the year-ago total of 217,210, however, the number of passengers enplaned at T.F. Green fell 2.75 percent in May, after rising 0.1 percent the month before.
Among passenger carriers, Southwest Airlines remained No. 1 at T.F. Green last month with 232,078 passengers and a 54.1-percent market share. US Airways remained No. 2 with 80,384 passengers, or 18.7 percent, followed by United Airlines with 32,656 passengers, or 7.6 percent.
Northwest Airlines – with 29,211 passengers through T.F. Green last month, or 6.8 percent of the airport’s May total – rose two places to No. 4, shooting past Delta Airlines, which had 23,766, or 5.5 percent; and Continental Airlines, with 22,659 passengers, or a 5.3-percent share. Next were American Eagle with 6,507, or 1.5 percent; Air Canada with 1,186, or 0.3 percent; and charter planes with 556 passengers, or 0.1 percent of the airport’s May total.
Total cargo shipments through T.F. Green last month rose 2.4 percent to 2.53 million pounds – from 2.47 million pounds the month before – after rising 0.5 percent in April. Compared with the May 2007 total of 3.84 million pounds, however, cargo traffic through the airport fell 34.14 percent.
Freight shipments rose 3.3 percent in May to 1.98 million pounds – from 1.92 million pounds the month before – after rising 3.2 percent in April. •