Passenger numbers at the Springfield airport were up 14.5 percent in 2022 over the previous year. With 1,109,529 total airline passengers, the increase made 2022 the second-best year in the airport’s history.

Second-best isn’t normally an item of note, but it’s nearly a complete recovery from the passenger downturn created by the pandemic when annual passenger numbers were down more than 50 percent.

Several factors appear responsible for the upswing. They include the strong performance of the Springfield area economy and pent-up demand. People were eager to travel after more than a year of staying home due to the pandemic.

Other airport metrics also show improvements:

• In 2022 the number of airline seats available in Springfield rose 4 percent over 2021. That indicates growing passenger demand.
• Flights leaving Springfield were 88 percent full on average. That’s eight percent better than 2021.
• Cargo airlines moved a combined 33 million pounds of freight in and out of the airport in 2022.
• 8.5 million gallons of aviation fuel was loaded on board aircraft — a nine percent increase over 2021.

Four airlines serve Springfield: Allegiant, American, Delta, and United. They provide service to 13 non-stop destinations: Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, Dallas, Charlotte, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Orlando, Destin/Ft. Walton Beach, and Punta Gorda.