Indy Airport Growth on Trajectory to Make History in 2017
West Coast flight connectivity ‘most Indy airport has ever offered’
INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 9, 2017) – The Indianapolis International Airport (IND) reports it anticipates setting a new record for passenger traffic in 2017, and is just one flight away from hitting the airport’s all-time high in nonstop flights leaving out of Indianapolis.
Based on monthly trends in passenger traffic, the Indy airport broke records three times this year, in the months of January, May and June. The airport anticipates it will exceed the 8.5 million passenger traffic record it set in 2016.
IAA Executive Director Mario Rodriguez said there are many contributing factors to the record growth.
“Our West Coast connectivity is booming,” said Rodriguez. “It’s the most the Indy airport has ever offered, with nonstop flights now to Seattle and Los Angeles, and three daily flights to San Francisco and seasonal flights into San Diego. That growth is a benefit to the tech sector, particularly, which is seeing record employment growth itself in Indiana.”
Rodriguez also noted that the Indy airport has announced or launched 11 new flights to date in 2017, including the first transatlantic nonstop flight out of Indy. That flight will be offered through Delta Airlines to Paris beginning May 24, 2018.
“That puts us at 38 flights added since 2014, and 48 nonstop destinations available to date – the most number of nonstops since the new terminal opened in 2008,” said Rodriguez. “We are among the top 10 most connected medium hub airports in the U.S.”
Rodriguez’s data comes from the most recent MIT Airport Connectivity Quality Index, which places the Indianapolis International Airport fifth in the nation for best connected among airports in its class, and predicts that with recent and future service additions, the Indy airport will maintain or enhance that strong position.
Nonstop air travel is crucial to passengers and Indy businesses, with 40 percent more passengers using nonstop flights out of Indianapolis to access final destinations in 2017.
“Compared to 11 other peer midsize markets, we have more nonstop destinations and more daily departures on average,” said Rodriguez.
Southwest Airlines currently makes up the bulk (34%) of the airport passenger traffic, with American and Delta airlines each making up 22 percent respectively. United Airlines currently makes up 13 percent of the Indy airport’s passenger traffic, and Allegiant (4%), Frontier (3%) and Air Canada, Alaska Airlines and OneJet collectively making up approximately one percent – per 2017 year-to-date numbers.
“I’ve said it many times this year, and the data backs it up --- the investments our airline partners have made in the Indianapolis market is a testament to the value they see in our city and the state,” said Rodriguez. Last year, the Indianapolis airport operations contributed more than $5.4 billion dollars to the Marion County economy, and supported more than 22,000 jobs.
Click here for the mid-year 2017 Airline Activity Report.