Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport use maintains altitude toward 2011 goal

By Karl Henkel

khenkel@vindy.com

VIENNA

It’s been quite some time since so many passengers traveled through the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.

In fact, the last time the airport saw more passengers than it did in June — 8,378 — Jim Tressel was coaching the Youngstown State University football team, the Covelli Centre wasn’t even an idea, and General Motors Lordstown was building the Chevrolet Cavalier.

It was October 1998, when 10,176 passengers enplaned or deplaned flights in Vienna.

“Everything has been positive,” said Dan Dickten, aviation director, who noted the airport’s load factor in June was 94 percent, third-best among Allegiant Air flight locations. That number was down from 97 percent earlier this year but “still incredible,” Dickten said.

The June figures represented a 56 percent increase compared to the same month a year ago.

The six-month enplanement count now sits at 18,922, 46 percent higher than it was the first six months of 2010, Dickten said. The airport appears to be on track to reach its goal of 39,000 enplanements by the end of 2011, a number that hasn’t been surpassed since 1999.

Last year, the enplanement count was 27,581.

Those affiliated with the airport remain hopeful that strong interest in flying out of Vienna Township will help to secure larger flights to more attractive locations such as Detroit and Las Vegas.

“I think it’s a very encouraging sign for the area,” said Doug Kibby, president of YNGAir, the nonprofit organization in charge of securing funds to attract bigger airlines to Vienna. “Even though it’s leisure travel, it still shows this area wants and needs daily flight service.”

Even with a successful month, Dickten cautioned of possible passenger declines because Allegiant Air plans to put flights from Vienna to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Orlando, Fla. on hiatus beginning in August.

“It’s going to decline again,” Dickten said. “That’s just the nature of the business.”