CCIA Recovery Outpacing the National Average
Nationwide, less than one third of traffic has returned. Seventy-five percent of CCIA’s seats and flights have returned in the current November schedule.
Press Release
Corpus Christi - The Corpus Christi International Airport (CCIA) is recovering faster than the national average in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Since April, CCIA has seen a steady increase in traffic each month. In September, more than half of CCIA’s pre-COVID traffic had returned to flying. Nationwide, less than one third of traffic has returned. Seventy-five percent of CCIA’s seats and flights have returned in the current November schedule.
During an update to the City Council on Tuesday, November 10, Assistant Director Kevin Smith laid out some of the action taken by the airport staff to weather the downturn and to stimulate continued traffic growth in the future. Among the highlights:
CCIA has partnered with Visit Corpus Christi and is engaging airline planners in discussions about the vitality and resilience of this region
CCIA launched a digital marketing campaign reaching local customers on-line as they actively make travel plans. The goal is to grow customer preference for CCIA
CCIA has installed new technology to enhance cleaning and disinfecting
CCIA is planning a multi-year terminal rehabilitation to replace critical, aging equipment and to modernize the flow of people, luggage, and security processes
The airport is moving forward with federally funded construction projects to improve the commercial and general aviation aprons (aircraft movement and parking areas)
CCIA will purchase a new aircraft rescue firefighting truck later this year that will be paid for with federal funds
“As more and more people become comfortable with flying again, our numbers at CCIA continue moving in the right direction,” said Kevin Smith, Assistant Director of Aviation at CCIA. “The airlines are still going through hard times, but we are actively working with them to create new opportunities for this community in the future,” said Smith.
CCIA Outpacing the National Average
While the numbers are still lower than they were last year, more people are not only confident enough to fly again, they are also showing a lot of confidence in future travel.
Press Release
Corpus Christi International Airport (CCIA) is experiencing a steady increase in the number of people traveling and is outperforming the national average when it comes to future bookings.
For the month of August, a total of 13,193 people flew out of CCIA which represents a 20% increase over July. While the numbers are still lower than they were last year before the pandemic hit, the numbers show that more and more people are not only confident enough to fly again, they are also showing a lot of confidence in future travel.
During the last week of August, future air travel bookings in the nation were 30% what they were back in 2019. This means that nationally, these bookings were down -70%. In the Coastal Bend, air travelers were booking at a much higher rate; 66% of what was booked around the same time the year before, down only -34%. “Future bookings are just one indication of how the market is rebounding during the coronavirus pandemic, said Kevin Smith, Asst. Director of Aviation at CCIA. “As long as CCIA is doing better than other airports in Texas and across the nation, we have a better shot at getting the kind of attention from the airlines that we would like to attract,” said Smith.
CCIA has gone from a low of 2,000 passengers a month back in April to more than 13,000 passengers in August. When combined with the optimism in future bookings, “this is a good story to tell the airlines as we work with them on future planning.” said Smith.
While the airlines have responded to the soft future bookings nationwide by pulling back on capacity (fewer seats and flights offered overall), all three of the airlines that serve CCIA are still flying in and out of the community each day. The one thing that local travelers can do to make things even better is to consider flying CCIA once they are ready to take to the skies again.
“In the wake of COVID-19, the rebound of the airline industry will rely heavily on consumer confidence,” said Smith. “When people feel they can stay healthy and safe while flying, they’re more likely to take a trip. The speed with which travelers come back to airports will determine the rate of recovery for the airlines and the entire industry.”
“We know that not everyone is ready to fly right now. All we ask is that when you’re ready to travel again, you consider investing in your own airport and make the choice to FlyCCIA,” said Smith.