Cedar Rapids, IA: They have done it again! The Eastern Iowa Airport reached record passenger travel in April for the third straight month.
A total of 85,676 passengers traveled through the airport in April, beating the previous same-month record of 85,452 set in April of 2007. This included a record number of enplaned passengers for April of 42,315.
A total of 99,664 passengers used the airport in March, topping the previous same-month record of 98,435 passengers in March 2000. There were 48,948 departing travelers in March and 50,716 arriving passengers.
February also produced a record number of travelers with 79,359 passengers, eclipsing the previous same month record of 78,738 passengers in February 2006. There were 40,466 departing travelers in February and 38,893 arriving passengers.
“This is a testament to the strength of the economy in the corridor,” said Tim Bradshaw, Airport Director. “We are tremendously lucky to have such a strong community. Many airports similar to CID are not seeing the continued growth that we are in eastern Iowa.”
As the numbers continue to increase, the airport is finishing up a master planning process that outlines the direction the airport is going in the next five to twenty years. The final plan is expected to go before the Cedar Rapids Airport Commission in July for approval. Part of the plan includes improvements to the 26 year old terminal, expansion of the ground transportation and rental car parking area, expanded security check point, and additional gates.
The planning process looks at the existing space, services, and resources to determine what will be needed in the future so the airport can plan ahead. Bradshaw said, “It has been a very in-depth and detailed project that has allowed us to look at what has been done in the past and what we need to do in the future to keep up with the demands of eastern Iowa travel. We are fortunate that our predecessors were very forward thinking and intelligent in their decisions and the airport is in a very good position to meet the demands of the next 20 years.”
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