XNA pushes through traffic record, enplanements up at Fort Smith

Enplanement traffic at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) likely broke a new annual enplanement record on Dec. 5, and could end the year with around 640,000 enplanements. Traffic also is strong in Fort Smith, where the regional airport could end the year with a 10% gain in enplanements.

Of Arkansas’ top three commercial airports, only the Bill & Hillary Clinton Airport (Little Rock National Airport) is on track to post a decline in 2014 compared to 2013.

Travelers flying out of XNA during November totaled 49,222, up 6.47% compared to the 46,229 during November 2013. For the first 11 months of 2014, enplanements at XNA total 591,480, up 10.37% compared to the same period in 2013. The year-to-date 2014 traffic is up 7.17% compared to the same period in 2007 – the year XNA reached its record enplanement of 598,886. (See XNA and Fort Smith enplanement histories at the end of this report.)

Airport officials have said an overall improvement in the national and regional economy along with fare price reductions are the primary reasons for enplanement gains.

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. 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 TRAFFIC
The Fort Smith Regional Airport, served by flights from Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth, posted November enplanements of 7,850, up 19.24% compared to November 2013.

Enplanements for the first 11 months of 2014 total 85,460, up 9.91% compared to the same period in 2013. With 49,949 enplanements year-to-date, American Airlines accounts for 58.44% of commercial traffic out of Fort Smith. Delta Air Lines had the remaining market share.2014.

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.

Enplanements at the Fort Smith Regional Airport totaled 86,653 during 2012, just ahead of the 86,234 in 2011, and marked three consecutive years of enplanement gains.

LITTLE ROCK NUMBERS
Enplanements at the Bill & Hillary Clinton Airport (Little Rock National Airport) were 92,447 in October, down 1.86% compared to October 2013. Enplanements for the first 10 months of 2014 were 875,531, down 4.63% compared to the same period of 2013. (The airport did not have November numbers posted as of Dec. 16.)

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.

With 247,107 enplanements during the first 10 months of 2014 Southwest posted the most enplanements of the eight carriers operating out of Little Rock. However, the enplanement count for Southwest was down 13.52% in the period. The only major carrier to post a year-to-date gain in Little Rock was American, with a 4.3% increase, Delta enplanements are down 0.87% in the 10-month period, and United Airlines numbers are down 6.7%.

ENPLANEMENT HISTORY (Fort Smith Regional Airport, since 2000)
2013: 84,520
2012: 86,653
2011: 86,234
2010: 86,129
2009: 78,432
2008: 87,030
2007: 99,127
2006: 94,717
2005: 102,607
2004: 92,928
2003: 90,493
2002: 87,944
2001: 95,419
2000: 104,182

ENPLANEMENT HISTORY (Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, since 2000)
2013: 581,487
2012: 565,045
2011: 562,747
2010: 570,625
2009: 540,918
2008: 571,845
2007: 598,886
2006: 586,320
2005: 583,940
2004: 511,714
2003: 448,228
2002: 400,063
2001: 374,122
2000: 367,157