Breaking Records: Indy Airport Continues to Hit New Highs
Passenger traffic up 7 percent, with new records set in April, May and June
INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 15, 2018) – The Indianapolis International Airport (IND) hit a new historical high in its second quarter of 2018, with 4.7 million passengers flying through Indianapolis.
That’s a 6-percent increase over the same time last year and a 7-percent increase year to date, with record-breaking increases in enplanements in April (12 percent), May (5 percent) and June (2 percent). The Indy airport also saw a 50-percent or more increase in airlines’ seat capacity in the second quarter to Cancun, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, St. Petersburg and Destin-Fort Walton.
“While some of our airline partners are moving the deck chairs to better align with passenger destination demands, these numbers show demand is in full force,” said Mario Rodriguez, executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority. “Three new nonstop destinations were added in Q2, including the first nonstop transatlantic flight to Paris with direct connections into Europe’s biggest business hubs and hottest tourist destinations.”
In addition to Delta Air Lines’ inaugural nonstop Paris flight, Allegiant Air launched inaugural nonstop flights to Charleston and Sarasota-Bradenton.
Rodriguez said second-quarter sporting events, such as the Indy 500, the IndyCar Grand Prix, and conventions like the FDIC International and the Team Beachbody Coach Summit, draw massive numbers of attendees to Indianapolis – driving air-traffic numbers up.
“The Indy 500 race draws more than 300,000 attendees alone,” said Rodriguez. “A convention can draw in more than 30,000 attendees.”
The Indy airport is on track to potentially exceed the 2017 record of 8.77 million passengers that flew through the Indianapolis International Airport. Today the Indianapolis airport averages 145 daily flights to 51 nonstop destinations.