Asheville Regional Airport is seeing an increase in passengers flying in from South Florida, New York and Tampa, and airport officials say recent passenger data shows the airport broke its single-day passenger record on June 23, according to information filed June 26 with the Buncombe County Tourism Development Agency.
The airport will soon be getting a fourth Transportation Security Administration lane, as the airport is on track to break more annual passenger records, airport spokeswoman Tina Kinsey said during the meeting.
“Due to the growth in the area, we are planning to build four lanes sooner than originally planned,” Kinsey said.
While other airports are seeing slow increases or declines in daily and annual passenger numbers between 2017 and 2022, Asheville Regional Airport is seeing an astounding 91% increase in passenger numbers, nearly doubling the number of daily passengers using the seven-gate airport and making it the third-busiest airport in the state. The airport reports 2023 will be its highest year yet, with 2.2 million passengers.
The fact that many locals begin their trips at the airport has led to interest and growth for airlines, as approximately 56% of the more than 621,000 passengers expected to fly through April 2024 do not live in the region. This has resulted in Asheville Regional Airport seeing high frequencies of both origin and destination passengers, making it known as “unusually attractive” for airlines.
“That means less risk for the airlines; they know they can put a flight into the market and fill it,” Kinsey said.
Kinsey said about 71 percent of passengers use the airport for leisure purposes, cementing Asheville’s appeal as a “strong leisure market” that has attracted airlines to open nonstop service to 24 new destinations in just a decade.
While growth has been steady, some high-demand markets remain underserved, Kinsey said, noting that two of Asheville’s top 25 daily markets, Los Angeles and San Francisco, currently have no direct flights.
Asheville Regional Airport Wi-Fi service data shows that visitors from South Florida, New York and Tampa make up more than 20% of people flying into Asheville, Kinsey said. In total, about 23% of people who used Wi-Fi at Asheville Regional Airport were Florida residents, according to data provided by the airport.
The airport recently provided an update on its $400 million expansion project, which will build a new terminal and expand its gates from seven to 12. Airport President and CEO Lou Bleiweis said the airport is “on track” to complete the first phase of the project by next summer. Phase one of the project includes the completion of the new North Concourse, which will transition services from the old terminal to the new concourse.
Vic Eisley, president and CEO of Explore Asheville, noted that for many who report growing pains at the airport, knowing the “relief that a better, enhanced experience will bring” will help Explore Asheville staff meet arriving guests’ expectations.
Airport hits new daily passenger record
Airport officials have been visiting with local government representatives on several occasions recently, and Bleiweiss addressed the June 25 City Council meeting to discuss steps the airport is taking to address the rapid growth it is experiencing as construction on the $400 million expansion gets underway.
Bleiweiss said June 23 was not only the busiest day in TSA history, with more than 3 million passengers screened nationwide, but also the busiest day ever for the Asheville airport.
More than 6,000 passengers passed through AVL on June 23, “making it the busiest day in the airport’s history,” Bleiweis said, adding that he hopes a fourth TSA checkpoint will be installed by mid-July to alleviate “passenger volume issues.”
Bleiweis also noted that the TSA’s extra lanes would act as a “secondary backup” in the event of equipment failure.
Additionally, the airport is “in the process of finalizing a design contract for a second parking lot at the airport,” Blayweiss said, which could alleviate frequent passenger complaints about parking availability. The airport has previously addressed the issue by increasing shuttle parking and overflow parking. Currently, the airport uses five shuttles to service parking lots on the airport grounds.
of Asheville Regional Airport The website recommends that all passengers arrive at least two hours before boarding time.
more: Asheville Airport’s new air traffic control tower spurred by $3.5 million grant
more: Asheville Airport’s new North Concourse on schedule as record growth continues
Will Hofmann is a growth and development reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Have a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com. To support this type of journalism, subscription To the Citizen Times.