By 1812Blockhouse, Columbus Regional Airport Authority
Richland County residents and businesses are certainly impacted by the availability of quality airline service in greater Columbus and Cleveland. The Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) recently reviewed how that availability changed during calendar year 2022.
According to the CRAA, upward momentum continued in 2022 with an estimated 7.75 million passengers traveling through John Glenn Columbus International (CMH) and the Rickenbacker Passenger Terminal (LCK), a 27% increase over 2021 representing 87% of 2019’s record-breaking passenger activity.
Passenger air service also grew with CMH and LCK now offering nonstop flights to 50 destinations, more than prior to the pandemic.
New routes announced in 2022 included service to Austin via Southwest Airlines, and Breeze Airways announced new service to Providence, Orange County and Raleigh-Durham. A key route connecting Columbus with business and tourism opportunities returned with United Airlines resuming service to San Francisco. And CMH gained a new airline with Sun Country Airlines announcing service to Minneapolis.
“Millions of travelers took advantage of our air service offerings in 2022, whether flying to a new destination or an old favorite,” said Joseph R. Nardone, President & CEO of CRAA. “With 50 nonstop destinations and 27 of our top 30 markets now served, we expect even more passengers to fly through CMH and LCK in the year ahead.”
Meanwhile, the robust logistics ecosystem surrounding Rickenbacker International Airport continued to expand with 1.65M sq. ft. of new warehouse development added to the Rickenbacker Global Logistics Park. CRAA also completed another phase of construction on Rickenbacker Parkway, opening up additional property for development.
The value of goods flowing through Rickenbacker increased in 2022, indicating a healthy diversification of cargo shipments being served, ranging from fashion to electronics, automotive and medical supplies.
More 2022 highlights:
• Escape Lounge – The Centurion® Studio Partner opened at CMH
• Vohnt Car Care services launched at CMH
• 1,700 new spaces and 20 new electric vehicle charging stations added to CMH parking garage
Image by Jan Vašek from Pixabay
