Memphis airport: Light Thanksgiving traffic ahead
Memphis International Airport expects a busy Thanksgiving week by COVID-19 pandemic standards but still well below 2019 levels.
Memphis-shelby County Airport Authority CEO Scott Brockman said Tuesday passenger traffic during the holidays will be 45 to 50% of what it was in 2019.
“We'll see, but advance bookings look pretty good, and the trends look pretty good,” he said. “I think we'll still be in the neighborhood of 10 to 12% (passenger traffic) above the national average.”
Brockman advised those traveling for the holidays to be patient if Transport Security Administration checkpoints have longer waiting periods than normal. He cited solid leisure travel demand in Memphis even during the pandemic and business travel from Memphis-based companies like Fedex as to why airport traffic is besting the national average.
The early stages of the pandemic and shutdowns stemming from it wiped out almost all Memphis International Airport traffic. In April, passenger traffic dropped about 94.5% from the year before. Some retail and restaurant locations inside the airport have closed due to the downturn.
Memphis International Airport was more conservative than other airports when projecting passenger numbers for its fiscal year, which began July 1, Brockman said. The airport planned for traffic to drop by 65%.
Airport traffic has improved since April, but it remains well below 2019 levels. Total airport passengers declined 57% in September from the year before, and scheduled flights dropped from 86 to 44, according to the airport.