Editor’s note: This story is a component of The Compass Report. The quarterly Compass Report is managed by The City Wire and presented by Fort Smith-based Benefit Bank. Other supporting sponsors of The Compass Report are Cox Communications and the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Enplanements turned positive during July at the Fort Smith Regional Airport, and the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) saw its year-to-date traffic growth expand to 3.7%.
During the first quarter of the year, enplanements at XNA were up 2.4%, and rose to a 3.18% increase for the first six months of the year.
July delivered 52,577 enplanements at XNA, up 6.67% compared to July 2012. For the first seven months of 2013, enplanements at XNA total 337,760, up 3.7% over the 325,676 enplanements during the same period of 2012. The enplanement tally for the seven-month period in 2013 is also ahead of the 335,948 during the same period of 2011.
August could bring more traffic to the airport. American Airlines is adding non-stop flights from Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport to Los Angeles International Airport in Southern California starting Aug. 27. XNA provides service to 14 destinations on five airlines across the country.
Enplanements at XNA totaled 565,045 during 2012, up just 0.4% compared to 2011. Although slight, the gain prevented XNA from posting two-consecutive years of enplanement declines. XNA’s first full year of traffic was 1999, and the airport posted eight consecutive years of enplanement gains before seeing a decline in 2008. It reached a peak of 598,886 in 2007.
FORT SMITH TRAFFIC
The Fort Smith Regional Airport, posted July enplanements of 7,673, up slightly compared to the 7,661 in July 2012 1.4% compared to June 2012.
The airport is served by flights from Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Although still in negative territory, the enplanement trend is improving in Fort Smith. For the first six months of 2013, enplanements at the airport were down 3.9% compared to the same period in 2012, and enplanements during the first quarter were down 7.4% compared to the same period in 2012.
For the first seven months of 2013, enplanements at Fort Smith total 49,714, down 3.37% compared to the same period in 2012.
Enplanements at the Fort Smith Regional Airport totaled 86,653 during 2012, just ahead of the 86,234 in 2011, and marking three consecutive years of enplanement gains.
American Airlines enplanements out of Fort Smith during the first seven months of 2013 total 28,971, down 4.28% compared to the same period in 2012. Delta enplanements during the first seven months of 2013 total 20,743, down 2% compared to the same period of 2012.
LITTLE ROCK
Enplanements at the Bill & Hillary Clinton Airport (Little Rock National Airport), totaled 549,329 during the the first six months of 2013, down 4.33% compared to the same period of 2012. June 2013 enplanements totaled 114,856, up 4.3% compared to June 2012. (As of Aug. 13 officials at the airport did not have July traffic figures.)
Enplanements in 2012 totaled 1.147 million, up 4.07% compared to 2011. The 2012 numbers also ended five consecutive years of enplanement declines at Arkansas’ largest commercial field.