Twenty-three percent of people who could choose to fly out of Columbia Regional Airport because of proximity over another nearby airport did so in 2017, up from 17 percent during the 12-month period ending in June 2016, a consultant told the Airport Advisory Board on Wednesday.
Ron McNeill, a senior consultant at Mead & Hunt, met with the advisory board to update members on the status of air service at the airport. He said the “catchment area” surrounding Columbia Regional includes 512,562 people.
One of the most dramatic changes in the average number of passengers who use the Columbia airport each day was seen in 2017. That number rose to 225 passengers per day, up from 168 passengers in 2016, 172 in 2015 and 141 in 2014.
These numbers are understandable, since United Airlines began flying to and from Columbia in August 2017. The year also saw American Airlines increase its number of flights and switch to larger planes.
Columbia has about a 23 percent share of the total ticket market for the catchment area. Of the 1,000 people in the catchment area flying per day each way, 225 use the airport.
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