(EMAILWIRE.COM, February 04, 2010 ) DETROIT - Passenger traffic for calendar year 2009 at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) dropped 10.8% percent compared to 2008, according to preliminary data released today the Wayne County Airport Authority’s (WCAA) Financial Planning & Analysis Division. A total of 31,357,388 passengers arrived at or departed from DTW last year—nearly 3.8 million fewer than in 2008.

“Airports worldwide have been faced with significant airline capacity reductions in response to dramatic changes in the economy over the past year,” said WCAA CEO Lester Robinson. “Historically, air traffic reflects the ups and downs of the economy and major worldwide events. As the economy recovers in the coming years, we are confident that the air traffic at Detroit Metropolitan Airport will rebound.”

Aircraft landings and take-offs (operations) at the airport declined 6.5 percent for the year at 462,520. Total air cargo dropped 23.2 percent year-over-year, although cargo did make a year-end surge—increasing by more than 10 percent in December.

“Despite the impact of our global economy on air travel these past 12 months, Detroit Metro Airport continues to be a real winner in the Delta Air Lines/Northwest merger. Since the merger closed, Delta has already added several non-stop destinations to its schedule from Detroit—including major long-haul routes such as Shanghai, Rome, Seoul, Hong Kong and Honolulu,” Robinson added.

Other carriers, including AirTran Airways, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines have also indicated plans to add new, daily service from DTW in 2010.

See the attached table for more details.
NB: Please note that these preliminary numbers are subject to revision.

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Michael Conway
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