COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Travel at Columbus’ John Glenn International Airport is soaring past records.
Figures show this spring was a record for passenger travel at the airport, and officials said February and March were the busiest on record. March 18-24 was the airport's busiest week ever, with 196,000 passengers flying through Columbus.
Kristen Easterday, director of communications and communications for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, said the increase is another sign of growth in Columbus.
“It says our community is strong, so when our community is strong, our airport can support its growth,” she said. “So we want to work with our airline partners to ensure that we can get where we want to go, whether it's personal travel or local business, so everyone can get where they want to go. I want to.”
Families like the Conways, who frequently visited the airport with their son in Ohio, say they've noticed that.
“When we first came, about five years ago, when we were looking at schools, we were coming out,” Thomas Conway said. “It was a quiet little airport. But as you can see, it's much more active now on Monday. I feel like we've gotten a lot more volume.”
Worthington residents Sherry and Chet Ridenour said the city is becoming more of a destination than just a place to pass through.
“The Intel factory is a game-changer for this sector,” said Chet Ridenour. “That means the whole area will change.”
The Easterday newspaper said March's figures were up 8.5% year-on-year.
“I think the demand from central Ohio continues to grow, and airlines are starting to respond to that,” she said. “So they added 10 more nonstop flights at the beginning of the summer.”
Some of these new routes will launch this month.
- May 8th – Spirit to Myrtle Beach
- May 8th – Spirit to New York – LaGuardia
- May 22 – Frontier to Philadelphia
- May 22 – Frontier to New Orleans
- June 7th – Delta to Salt Lake City
- June 8th – Southwest to San Diego
- June 9 – Southwest to Kansas City
Preparations are underway to begin construction on John Glenn's new terminal, a $2 billion project scheduled to open in 2029, Easterday said.
“We are already in talks with airlines to expand the new terminal and which gates they will use in the new terminal,” she said. “And we hope to add more flights as our community grows.”
Traveler numbers for April have not yet been announced.
