June was busiest month in history of Huntsville International Airport

MADISON – Huntsville International Airport hit an alltime record high in June with the month being the busiest in history and showing a 9.1% increase in passenger traffic over last June.

There were 160,455 passengers traveling through Huntsville International Airport (HSV) in June. May was the second highest record month with 156,967 passengers traveling through the airport. So far this year, the airport has seen a 4.7% increase in passenger traffic since this time last year, said Port of Huntsville spokeswoman Mary Swanstrom.

Huntsville International Airport Board Chair Joey Ceci said in a release that the availability of more seats is the main reason for the increase in passenger numbers.

“We have seen our airline partners invest in HSV with bigger planes, more route frequency and new destinations,” he said. “Our community is embracing these upgrades and additions to our schedule by choosing to book their flights from their hometown airport.”

Swanstrom said, in June, Breeze Airways doubled its nonstop service to Orlando, Florida from HSV, increasing flights to seven days a week. She said Delta Air Lines launched the first nonstop service to New York City at HSV since the 1970s, with daily flights to LaGuardia, and also added more daily nonstop flights to Detroit and Atlanta. Swanstrom said American Airlines increased flight frequency to Charlotte, North Carolina and Dallas to meet demand from HSV. “The passenger record numbers just show that if the flights are available to our community at competitive prices, they will fly from HSV and not drive to an airport out of town,” said Huntsville International Airport CEO Butch Roberts in a release. “We have seen what customers choosing HSV first can do — our airlines notice and respond with bigger, better equipment and nonstop routes to desirable locations to meet demand.”

Swanstrom said there are several factors account for HSV’s record months.

“We are in the height of our summer months, so that’s always a very busy time for us at the airport,” she said. “I think just like our CEO and chair of the board said, because the airlines have provided more flights, more seats, more destinations, our community really is enjoying that. And they want to fly from home. They’re able to because we have daily flights from Orlando, of course the New York service. The airlines have also added to the frequency of their routes.”

There are more flights and seats available, Swanstrom said, HSV’s prices are competitive, and people have been shopping around. “I think HSV is a very attractive prospect to start your journey versus driving two or three hours to another town,” she said.

Swanstrom said that airport leadership believes that the 18-county market of north Alabama and southern Tennessee that HSV serves supports the addition of more seats, which is a measurement of an airline’s commitment to growth, and additional nonstop service in years to come.

“Our airport is built to support more flights, and our customers are already enjoying the improvements in amenities that we are making, so their experience at HSV is improving,” Roberts said. “Our new, modern restrooms just opened last week, and Starbucks and Interstellar Pizza will open later this summer to serve our customers. We are soon breaking ground on a new parking deck. If our community continues to support flights close to home, we will grow, too.”