Passenger volume soars, thanks to Norwegian Air
The numbers were almost twice as high in the first two months of this year as they were in the same period of 2017.
Passenger volume at Stewart International Airport was almost twice as high in the first two months of this year as it was in the same period of 2017, according to airport officials.
The continued dramatic rise in the use of Stewart is attributable to Norwegian Air’s service between Stewart and several European destinations, which began last June.
For January and February, a total of 82,870 people used Stewart for travel, the airport reports. In the same two months last year, the total was 42,070.
Airport Business Development Director Michael Torelli told the Stewart Airport Commission on Tuesday that he trends will continue at least through mid-June, the anniversary of Norwegian’s launch at Stewart, “and we will be well on our way to another banner year.”
Torelli said airport officials continually are talking up Stewart in an effort to attract additional service.
“We just had staff go to Ecuador ... and they met with many different airlines both foreign and domestic,” he said. “Everyone is always interested in how Norwegian is doing .... ”
Cargo tonnage moving through Stewart, meanwhile, was 27 percent higher in the first two months of this year than in the comparable period in 2017: 3,661 tons in January-February 2018 vs. 2,884 tons a year earlier.
Stewart is owned by New York state and is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.