Jun. 15—Reports in March indicating an upward trend in passenger counts at Greenbrier Valley Airport were borne out in a big way only two months later.
The Maxwelton airport has released soaring enplanement numbers for May, as reported by Skywest Airlines, operating for United Airlines at Greenbrier Valley.
During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in May 2020, only 54 passengers boarded commercial aircraft at Greenbrier Valley. In May of this year, those enplanements had sharply risen to 1,092, near pre-pandemic numbers.
"We are so happy to see passenger traffic rebounding at this pace," airport director Brian Belcher said in a June 11 media release. "We know there is a strong market in this region, and a strong market of travelers coming to visit area resorts. We continue to see a strong leisure market, and now we see the business traveler returning to the sky."
Greenbrier Valley also reported large numbers of private aviation flights in and out of the airport, contributing to continuing improvements in fuel sales, which were 161.3 percent higher this May than in May of 2020. This May's sales were even 16 percent higher than those in 2019, the year before the pandemic began.
"We continue to see impressive private aviation traffic at LWB," Belcher said. (LWB is aviation shorthand for Greenbrier Valley Airport, an identifier linked to Lewisburg, the closest city to the Maxwelton facility.)
"For many years, this airport has always been a leader in general aviation traffic flying into West Virginia," Belcher continued. "After being under pandemic guidelines for more than a year, people seem to want to travel, and this region is the perfect place to get away for a vacation. This area has everything you want for outdoor vacations, from amazing golf courses, rivers, trails, world-class resorts and America's Coolest Small Town. We have it all."
Greenbrier County Airport Authority chairwoman Deborah Phillips also extolled the region's attractions.
"The two Virginias offer unique vacation opportunities, including multiple resorts, national parks and vistas," Phillips said in the media release. "Extreme adventures and fresh mountain air are waiting for our visitors."
Greenbrier Valley Airport is served by United Airlines, flying to Chicago's O'Hare Airport and Washington's Dulles Airport, allowing connections to almost anywhere in the world.
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