CIRA Sees 12% Drop in Passenger Traffic (Updated)
I still don't have hard numbers, but this article tells us that Bloomington-Normal's Central Illinois Regional Airport suffered a 12 percent decline in passengers in 2017. That drop means CIRA handled about 335,000 passengers last year. In 2016, it handled 381,109. Delta Connection's decision to drop Detroit service in July 2016 and the reduction of Minneapolis/St. Paul flights from one to two last year had to hurt local traffic. Director Carl Olson cites a decline in business travel for the drop. As a result, the airport is looking at air cargo as a catalyst for growth. FedEx Express, which shifted its cargo flights from Peoria to CIRA, has grown there with potential for more. For Olson, FedEx’s growth at CIRA is an example of how other companies in the industry might find success in this area. “We sit not only within the largest population concentration in the state after the Chicago metro area, but we’re also two hours from Indianapolis, two hours from...