Springfield airport passenger numbers climb again

Passenger numbers at the Springfield-Branson National Airport climbed again in July, the third consecutive month with double-digit percentage increases.

The airport had 84,079 passengers last month, up 13 percent from July 2008, according to the airport's blog. That follows 10 percent growth in June and 17 percent growth in May. Prior to May, the airport had 15 consecutive months of negative or flat numbers.

Airport officials attribute the growth to several factors:

• Airlines have been offering sales on airfare in an attempt to keep planes full;

• Media coverage surrounded the airport's new terminal for several months before its May opening;

• American Airlines is competing with Sun Country Airlines' new service from Branson to Dallas and has lowered its fares between Springfield and Dallas; and

• Allegiant Air, the airport's low-cost tourist destination carrier, had a 50 percent increase in passengers in July.

Airport spokesman Kent Boyd said there are warning signs that the good news may not last, however.

Industry analysts expect airlines to continue cutting their number of seats, and by the end of the year, capacity is expected to be down 10 percent from last year, according to the blog. The Springfield airport's aviation consultant also suggests that the effects of the latest job cuts haven't hit the airport yet, and demand for air travel could be headed downward, Boyd said.

"To sum it all up: The economy is the great wild card," Boyd said in the blog post.