DAYTONA BEACH -- Passenger traffic at Daytona Beach International Airport (DBIA) decreased 42 percent in February 2009 compared with the same month a year ago.
During February, 37,277 passengers traveled through the county-operated airport, compared with the 64,295 travelers recorded in February 2008. For the 12-month period ending Feb. 28, 549,178 passengers traveled through DBIA, compared with 695,017 passengers in 2008, representing a 21-percent decrease.
"February’s passenger traffic decrease resulted from fewer available airline seats and fewer airlines serving DBIA because of the discontinuing services of AirTran Airways and Continental Airlines. Loss of AirTran and Continental combined with a downward economic trend that has seen service reductions at many airports across the nation," said Vickie Pleus, Volusia County spokeswoman.
Delta Air Lines and US Airways continue to serve DBIA, offering daily nonstop service to Atlanta and Charlotte and provide hundreds of connections daily to domestic and international destinations.
During February, airport operations, which include aircraft landings and takeoffs, increased by 8 percent, from 27,911 in February 2008 to 30,219 in 2009. For the 12-month period ending Feb. 28, 2009, total Airport operations increased 311,059 to 345,810, representing an 11-percent decrease.