ROANOKE, Va. – While airport traffic was down in Roanoke last month, that quick thought doesn’t tell the whole story.
In November, 25,020 people flew into and out of Roanoke, according to the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport.
Recommended Videos
This marks a slight decrease from October; however, on a daily basis, November actually had slightly more travelers.
October’s 25,783 total passengers break down to about 832 per day, while November, with one fewer day, averaged 834 daily travelers.
The airport cited two reasons for the dip in numbers: the one fewer day of November and college students.
Typically, college students who flew home for Thanksgiving would return in November; however, that was not the case this year.
While the airport certainly wants to get back near pre-coronavirus pandemic numbers from 2015 to 2019, November travel has always been less than October travel.
“Passengers are more and more comfortable with the measures taken by the air carriers and airports to ensure their safety,” stated David Jeavons, acting executive director of the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission. “We hope traffic grows throughout the winter. Lower overall airfare has stimulated demand, and as airlines rebuild their schedules, it is critical to use our current service not only to keep it but also to have more restored and help our economy grow. We continue to appreciate the support of our community, choosing ROA, and not driving out of the market to fly.”
So far, in 2020, 268,334 passengers have flown into and out of Roanoke, that’s down 59% from the first 11 months of 2019.
Comparing 2020 to 2019 by month, November did have a slight improvement upon October.
While October 2020 was down 62.91% from Oct. 2019, November 2020 was down just 60.15% from Nov. 2019.