Decline in Houston air travel & freight slowing

June figures show improvement

Wendy Natt, Jul 29, 09.

Air passenger volume, aircraft operations, and air freight shipments within the Houston Airport System (HAS) continued their steady decline in June, but the most recent HAS figures indicate that this trend may be slowing into the second half of 2009, according to a Houston Economic Indicators email update from the Greater Houston Partnership (GHP).

GHP’s report on the figures for June and the first half of the year:

Air passenger volume has declined steadily since peaking in July ’08, a combination of air carriers’ planned capacity and route reductions after Labor Day and the inroads of recession on business and personal travel. June saw HAS handle 4.4 million passengers, down 5.5 percent from 4.7 million in June ’08. For the first half of ’09, however, passenger volume was off nearly twice as much - 10.0 percent - at 23.6 million. Domestic volume fell more than international for both the month and the first half.
Aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs), important as a source of revenues, slipped 5.0 percent for the month and 8.6 percent for the first half.
Air freight volume declined 4.8 percent in June and 14.7 percent in the first six months of this year, partly because some shipments have been shifted to other modes of transportation, and partly because of reduced trade as the recession constrains demand.

See GHP’s full list of Houston Economic Indicators for July 21, 2009.