PJStar Remembers Peoria Has An Airport! (Aug/Sep Pax Records)


Someone at the Peoria Journal Star, our newspaper of extremely selective record, must have seen a comment I made recently on Peoria Dot Com, regarding their lack of coverage on local airport passenger traffic. 

Well, what do you know, they actually posted an article on August and September records and even talked to the airport director. And not once did the article mention a restaurant!

Peoria International Airport handled 57,353 passengers in August, and 53,796 passengers in September, beating 2019 figures for those months. The August figure exceeded by 1.3 percent the previous record for that month, which was set in 2019.

Director of Airports, Gene Olson, doesn't believe 2024 passenger traffic will break 2019's record of 689,416 passengers. I hope he is wrong as the numbers are likely close. Unfortunately, the article fails to note that 2023 passenger traffic totaled 638,378. (Figure was posted on the airport's Facebook page on February 15.)

Unfortunately, the article is poorly-written.. The excerpt below offers solid evidence that editors are no longer employed at the PJStar.

Through October 2024, the airport has welcomed 522,278 passengers total, only 2.7% away from matching 2019.

I suspect the writer intended to say September 2024, as half of October remains. 

The $500,000 Small Community Air Service Development (SCASD) funds awarded PIA in September 2023 remain unused. Apparently negotiations continue with airlines for possible service to Denver (United), Houston (United) or Phoenix (American). Leakage to Chicago-O'Hare and airline fleet issues thanks to Boeing's woes are cited as reasons for lack of progress. 

- David P. Jordan

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