Indy Airport Headed for Banner Year in Passenger Traffic
The third quarter of 2018 at the Indianapolis International Airport (IND) was like no other, with more than 2.4 million passengers traveling through the Indy airport -- making it the highest-activity third quarter in the history of the airport’s operations.
“That equates to an 8 percent increase year to date in 2018 compared to the same time last year,” said Indianapolis Airport Authority Executive Director Mario Rodriguez.
In fact, international passenger traffic was up 123 percent compared to third quarter 2017. Rodriguez attributes that to nonstop international flights out of Indy to Paris via Delta Air Lines. There were more flights to all scheduled international destinations, including Cancun, Punta Cana, and Toronto.
“This performance makes a strong case for why we are pursuing more international flights,” said Rodriguez. “The demand is there for the right international markets, and we’re focused on working with our airline partners and the industry to create opportunity for those markets.”
The IAA is currently eyeing Mexico for possible new international routes, and the State of Indiana has pledged $20 million to invest in recruiting more international flights to Indianapolis.
Along with more international travel, the Indy airport’s third quarter activity included 100 more outbound flights in 2018 than in 2017. Passenger traffic in all third-quarter months set new records, with July up 7 percent, August up by 13 percent, and September increasing by 7 percent as well, compared to the same time period last year. The airport achieved these record traffic levels because more destinations were accessible via nonstop flights in 2018 than in 2017. Key destinations include Seattle, Austin, Philadelphia, Charleston, Sarasota, Oakland, and San Diego.
In fact, eight more nonstop flights were in operation in third quarter 2018 than during the same time in 2017.
With these latest numbers, and with one of the biggest air-travel weekends occurring in the fourth quarter, officials at the Indy airport are highly optimistic that 2018 will set a new record for passenger traffic, with real potential to exceed the 8.77 million passengers that flew through the airport last year. Today, the Indianapolis airport averages 145 daily flights to 50 nonstop destinations.
