July enplanements down at XNA, Fort Smith

The temperatures were up in July, but not so much for enplanements out of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) and the Fort Smith Regional Airport. However, Fort Smith numbers are still positive on a year-to-date comparison.

At XNA, July enplanements totaled 49,289, down 5.85% compared to July 2011. July marked the fifth consecutive month of enplanement decline at the airport.

For the first seven months of 2012, XNA enplanements totaled 325,676, down 3.05% compared to the 2011 period.

If the trend at XNA continues, it would result in two consecutive years of enplanement declines. Enplanements at XNA totaled 562,747 during 2011, down 1.38% compared to 2010. During 2010, XNA had 570,625 enplanements, up 5.49% over 2009. XNA’s first full year of traffic was 1999, and the airport posted eight consecutive years of enplanement gains before seeing a decline in 2008.

FORT SMITH
Fort Smith enplanements totaled 7,661 in July, down 6.7% compared to July 2011.

Airport Director John Parker said having July 4 in the middle of the week hurt leisure travel numbers throughout the system.

For the first seven months of 2012, Fort Smith enplanements totaled 51,449, up 4.5% compared to the 2011 period.

Enplanements at the Fort Smith Regional Airport during 2011 eked out a 0.12% gain over 2010, marking two consecutive years of enplanement growth at the airport. For the year, the airport posted 86,234 enplanements compared to 86,129 during 2010.

LITTLE ROCK
Enplanements at the Bill & Hillary Clinton Airport (Little Rock National Airport) for July are not set for release until Tuesday (Aug. 21). For the first six months of 2012, enplanements at the Little Rock National Airport (Bill & Hillary Clinton Airport) total 574,653, up 8.66% compared to the 2011 period. Enplanements during June totaled 110,099, up 3.07% over June 2011.

If the trend continues, 2012 could mark the end of five consecutive years of enplanement declines at the Little Rock airport. Enplanements at Little Rock National during 2011 totaled 1.103 million, down 1.92% compared to the 2010 period.

NATIONAL TRAVEL
Total travel (passengers boarded) for American Airlines, the largest carrier at XNA and Fort Smith, during July totaled 9.919 million, down 2.3% compared to July 2012. For the first seven months of 2012, total travel for American is up 1.5%.

According to Chicago-based OAG, a leading provider of aviation industry research, air travel during August could reach the lowest level in 10 years. The company’s “Frequency and Capacity Trend Statistics” report indicates there will be 953,083 fewer airline seats available in North America, and 21,401 fewer flights.

“Against the backdrop of a slowing economy the North American region is experiencing general consolidation of its internal scheduled air services,” Rob Shaw, director of analytics for OAG, said in a statement. “This is partly the natural consequence of the well-publicised airline mergers of recent years, but it also reflects the strategy of individual carriers in a tough trading environment: reducing capacity to maintain fares at a profitable level.”