Airport Traffic Gains Continue At XNA, Fort Smith; Down In Little Rock

Editor’s note: This story is a component of The Compass Report. The quarterly Compass Report is managed by The City Wire, and sponsored by Arvest Bank. Supporting sponsors of The Compass Report are Cox Communications and the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Scott Van Laningham is “surprised” at the double-digit enplanement growth at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA). He didn’t think the pace of growth would return so soon.

The pace for the first eight months of 2014 is also positive at the Fort Smith Regional Airport.

Arkansas commercial airport trends that began early in 2014 have continued through August, with traffic increases at XNA and Fort Smith and enplanement declines in Little Rock.

Travelers flying out of XNA during August totaled 57,273, up 12.81% compared to the 50,771 during August 2013. For the first eight months of 2014, enplanements at XNA total 430,220, up 10.73% compared to the same period in 2013.

The January-August 2014 traffic is up 7.93% compared to the same period in 2007, the year XNA reached record enplanements of 598,886. Enplanements at XNA fell to 540,918 in 2009 after reaching the 2007 high.

Van Laningham, executive director of XNA, said an improving regional economy and moderation in air fares are at least two reasons for increased traffic.

“Clearly there is increased economic activity throughout this region, and I think that is part of it. But also, looking at airfare comparisons (with other commercial airports in a competing region) the (price) differentials are getting smaller which tells me we are recapturing some of the loss that we were seeing, primarily to Tulsa,” he said.

Another factor is that the airlines are using larger planes on some of the XNA routes.

“There is more capacity also with those extra seats, and they are absolutely filling those up,” he said.

For all of 2013, XNA enplanements totaled 579,679, up 2.58% compared to the same period in 2012. The enplanement growth remained stable through the year, with enplanements up 2.42% at the end of the first quarter of 2013.

Enplanements at XNA totaled 565,045 during 2012, up just 0.4% compared to 2011. Although slight, the gain prevented XNA from posting two-consecutive years of enplanement declines. 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.

LITTLE ROCK NUMBERS
Enplanements at the Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport (Little Rock National Airport) totaled 87,230 in August, down 2.88% compared to August 2013.

Enplanements for the first eight months of 2014 were 702,284, down 4.99% compared to the same period of 2013.

Enplanements in 2013 totaled 1.085 million, down 5.45% compared to 2012. Enplanements in 2012 totaled 1.147 million, up 4.07% compared to 2011. The 2012 numbers ended five consecutive years of enplanement declines at Arkansas’ largest commercial field.

Among the top three carriers in Little Rock, only one has posted enplanement gains between January and August. Southwest, the largest carrier, has seen enplanements decline 14.23% in the first eight months. American, the second largest, has posted a 3.35% gain in the period, while Delta has seen a 2.35% decline in enplanements during the first seven months of 2014.

FORT SMITH TRAFFIC
The Fort Smith Regional Airport, served by flights from Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth, posted August enplanements of 7,646, up 5.7% compared to August 2013.

Enplanements for the first eight months of 2014 total 60,803, up 6.77% compared to the same period in 2013.

For all of 2013, enplanements at the airport totaled 84,520, down 2.46% compared to the same period in 2012. The decline ended three consecutive years of enplanement gains at the airport.

Based on monthly averages, Fort Smith enplanements could reach more than 91,000 in 2014. The last time enplanements were above 100,000 was in 2005, with 102,607. The last year enplanements were above 90,000 was in 2007, with 99,217.

With 34,902 enplanements for the first eight months of 2014, American Airlines accounts for 57.4% of commercial traffic out of Fort Smith. Delta Air Lines had the remaining market share – 25,901 enplanements – for the first eight months of 2014.

American enplanements out of Fort Smith are up 5% for the first eight months of 2014 compared to the same period of 2013, and Delta enplanements are up 9.23%.