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Dozens of people gathered to hear the State of the Airport Address at the Springfield Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.

The director of the Springfield-Branson National Airport, Gary Cyr said 2009 was a challenging year for the aviation business in general.

“Nationally, the number of people traveling by air was down 5.9%. To save money, airlines had 7% fewer seats in the air. This was the greatest one year reduction in capacity since 1942. That’s a long time.”

Cyr said it wasn’t the easiest year for the Springfield-Branson National Airport either; the airport lost service to Detroit, St. Louis, and Minneapolis. Even though the airport lost those destinations, Cyr said it has fared better than most.

“You’ll see the major airports in the region. They all finished 2009 with negative passenger growth. With one exception: the Springfield-Branson National Airport.”

The airport had a four percent increase in passenger growth in 2009. Cyr said he attributes that growth to a combination of low fares, the new terminal, advertising, and the strength of the local economy.

Looking ahead to 2010, Cyr says the airport will complete a new taxiway, finish a rental car facility, and try to lease the old terminal building.

For KSMU News, I’m Matt Evans.

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