SGF passenger count rises 2.8% in 2012

The Springfield-Branson National Airport passenger count last year increased 2.8 percent compared to 2011.

Passengers totaled 752,214 in 2012, according to a news release.

“The airlines are in cost cutting mode. They’re dealing with the lingering effects of the recession by cutting back on seat capacity and number of flights,” SGF Director of Aviation Brian Weiler said in the release. “The result is that many airports across the country have seen flat or negative passenger growth.

"The fact that our numbers were up almost three percent is a reflection of southwest Missouri’s strong economy.”

In SGF's analysis of competing airports, the Springfield airport had the least amount of passengers in 2012, but realized the largest percentage change year-to-year. Other airport counts:

• Lambert - St. Louis International Airport recorded 12.7 million passengers in 2012, resulting in a 1.1 percent increase from 2011.
• Kansas City International Airport had 9.9 million passengers, for a 4 percent decrease.
• Tulsa International Airport reported 2.7 million passengers and a year-to-year decrease of 2 percent.
• Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport experienced a 0.6 percent drop to 1.1 million passengers.

SGF spokesman Kent Boyd related the airport's favorable passenger increase to the Springfield metropolitan statistical area's jobless rate. In December, the Springfield metro area unemployment rate was 5.5 percent, compared to a national jobless rate of 7.8 percent that month.

“There’s an old rule of thumb in the airline industry. More employment means more people flying," Boyd said in the release.

The Springfield airport also compared favorably to the competing airports in terms of air freight shipments. By percentage change, SGF led the pack with a 6.6 percent increase to 28.8 million pounds of air freight in 2012, followed by:

• Kansas City International Airport, 2.9 percent increase to 189.9 million pounds;
• Tulsa International Airport, 1.1 percent increase to 56.4 million pounds;
• Lambert - St. Louis International Airport, 0.5 percent decrease to 152.6 million pounds; and
• Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, 6.7 percent decrease to 55.3 million pounds.