Feb. 9—DEXTER — The Watertown International Airport saw about 50% of its normal traffic in 2020, but compared to many other airports in the country, it's doing relatively well.
According to Grant W. Sussey, manager for the Jefferson County-owned airport, about 23,000 passengers boarded or exited planes at the two-runway facility just west of the city between January and December of last year.
"That's about half of what we normally do, but considering the circumstances, we're doing pretty well," he said.
Mr. Sussey said most airports in New York state reported a roughly 75% dip in passenger numbers for the year as a consequence of travel restrictions and ongoing worries about traveling during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The International Air Transport Association estimates worldwide air passenger numbers dropped by 65% for 2020.
Of the 23,000 travelers who passed through the Watertown airport in 2020, about 11,000 were boarding planes.
Mr. Sussey said, during a normal year, the airport sees about double that. In 2019, the airport reported 23,000 enplanements.
Each year, Mr. Sussey said the airport needs to have 10,000 enplanements in order to receive $1 million from the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program.
Those funds can be used to purchase equipment, improve safety and make other improvements to the airport facilities.
Mr. Sussey said while the 10,000 enplanement requirement has been waived for the year because of the pandemic, it's still an important metric to hit.
"It shows the robustness of the local market, and how many essential folks we had coming in and out throughout the year," he said.
For almost the entirety of 2020, American Airlines, the one carrier that operates flights at the airport, maintained its normal schedule of two flights per day to and from Philadelphia, Penn. In May, the company announced it would be cutting that to one flight per day in and out of Watertown due to an "unprecedented decline in demand" for travel.
That cut lasted about a month before the airline began offering two flights per day again.
Even though the Watertown airport is doing well compared to other airports in the country, the reduction in passenger numbers is still a cause for concern. Fewer passengers means less money for the airport from a variety of sources. Not only are fewer passengers making purchases at the airport, and contributing to the facility's finances with their tickets, but the airport is also taking in less from the Passenger Facility Charge program.
That program allows the Watertown airport to charge any airlines that land there up to $4.50 per passenger to cover the costs of those passengers using the building's services. That money can then be used on FAA-approved projects to improve facilities, safety, security or capacity; reduce noise; or increase competition between airlines.
Mr. Sussey said airport administration continues to keep an eye on the airport's revenue, but for the moment, things are stable, thanks to federal support.
"We do see some reduced revenues, but at the same time we've had some support from the U.S. government," he said. "The CARES Act and the CRRSAA Act have been providing economic relief for airports for operational expenses."
With the CARES Act, signed into law March 27, 2020, $10 billion in federal funding was awarded to U.S. airports to cover costs related to the pandemic, including losses from reduced business.
According to the FAA, the Watertown airport received $1,098,108 from that allocation.
The CRRSAA Act, signed Dec. 27, 2020, authorized $2 billion for airports for the same purposes as the CARES Act. Details on how that funding has been allocated have not yet been released.
Mr. Sussey said he continues to be thankful for the help Congress has offered throughout the pandemic, the hard work of the airport staff and the continued support of American Airlines.
"We are very thankful to our airline partner for maintaining that connection for the community for their travel needs," he said. "Looking into the future as people travel more again, the airport will be ready to provide a safe and efficient environment for them to launch to wherever they're going or to land and come here."
___
(c)2021 Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, N.Y.)
Visit Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, N.Y.) at www.watertowndailytimes.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
