US Airport Traffic To Grow Over 25% In Next Ten Years

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A new forecast projects that US airports will see over 25% growth in the next ten years, handling over 1.1 billion enplanements, up by almost 225 million from 2017.

A new forecast projects that US airports will see over 25% growth in the next ten years, handling over 1.1 billion enplanements, up by almost 225 million from 2017.

The 2018-2027 Airports:USAยฎ forecast, developed by Boyd Group International, covers traffic and air service trends at 146 of the nationโ€™s airports, encompassing over 95% of all passengers.

The key findings of the forecast are in a brief report, The Seven Top Airport Trends, 2018-2027, and include:

  • Airline strategies will affect growth patterns within airport categories. The 22 airline connecting hub airports will see 25.7% growth. Large non-hubsite airports, those with over 2 million enplanements today, will experience 32.0% expansion. Airports today with between 250,000 and 2 million enplanements, will see 34.9% expanded traffic.
  • New International Access. โ€œNew-generation airliners now present strong potential for trans-Atlantic service from East Coast airports such as Providence, Manchester, Albany, Charleston and Jacksonville.โ€
  • โ€œRegionalized air accessโ€ to expand – with many small airports losing traffic to mid-size airports within regions. ย โ€œAt many small communities, efforts to attract flights at the local airport are futile,โ€ the forecast notes. โ€œOften, itโ€™s non-competitive with other airport options โ€“ even with as much as a 90-minute drive.โ€
  • Globalization: by 2027, over 36% of all US airport enplanements will be the direct or indirect result of international travel.
  • There will be sharp enplanement swings as ultra low-cost carriers (โ€œULCCs) enter and exit some mid-size airports. These corporate decisions cannot be anticipated by any forecasting methodologies. The spike and decline in 2018 traffic at Islip, New York is referenced as an example. โ€œSuch entry, however, whether successful or not, is positive for the airport,โ€ the forecast notes. โ€œAt least pro-tem, it generates new revenues.โ€

Airport Capacity Issues. The forecasted additional enplanements in 2027 is the equivalent of the traffic today at all five of the nationโ€™s largest airports, combined.ย  โ€œAirport capacity, funding and efficiencies will need to pursue whole new approaches.โ€

A summary of findingsย  – The Seven Top Airport Trends, 2018-2027 – can be found at www.AviationForecastSummit.com and clicking on the report title page.

The forecast will be presented to aviation leaders from across the globe at the Boyd Group International Aviation Forecast Summit in Denver, August 19-21.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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