ASHEVILLE - The Asheville Regional Airport has more passengers flying in from South Florida, New York and Tampa, according to information presented to the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority June 26, with airport staff saying recent passenger data indicates they broke a daily passenger record on June 23.
With the airport on pace to break more annual passenger records, the airport will soon have a fourth Transportation Security Administration lane, airport spokesperson Tina Kinsey said during the meeting.
"They are planning a fourth lane earlier than they had originally planned because of the growth that has occurred here," Kinsey said.
While other airports have seen moderate increases, or even declines, in daily and yearly passenger travel between 2017 and 2022, the Asheville Regional Airport saw a colossal 91% increase in travel, nearly doubling the daily number of passengers traveling through the seven-gate airport that is now the third busiest in the state. The airport reported that 2023 was its busiest year on record, with 2.2 million passengers.
With roughly 56% of the more than 621,000 passengers through April 2024 not living in the area, interest and growth from airlines come with the fact that many locals start their trips at the airport. This allows Asheville Regional to have a high-frequency of both origin and destination passengers — something that is noted for being "unusual and appealing" to airlines.
"That means that it's less risky for them. If they put flights in the market, they know they can fill them," Kinsey said.
Nearly 71% of passengers travel through the airport for leisure, Kinsey said, which solidifies Asheville's draw as a "strong leisure market" that has attracted airlines to establish nonstop routes to 24 new destinations in just 10 years.
Though the growth has been steady, some high-demand markets are still underserved, Kinsey said, as two of Asheville's top 25 daily markets — Los Angeles and San Francisco — do not currently have nonstop service.
The Asheville Airport's Wi-Fi service data indicates that visitors from three areas — South Florida, New York and Tampa — make up over 20% of those visiting Asheville by plane, Kinsey said. In total, Florida residents made up roughly 23% of those who used Wi-Fi at the Asheville Regional Airport, according to data provided by the airport.
The airport recently shared an update on their $400 million expansion project that will allow the airport to build a new terminal and expand from seven to 12 gates. Airport President and CEO Lew Bleiweis said the airport was "on schedule" to be finished with the first phase of the project by next summer. The first phase of the project entails the completion of the new North Concourse where service will transfer from the old terminal to the new concourse.
President and CEO of Explore Asheville Vic Isley noted that for many reporting growing pains at the airport, knowing that there is "relief coming in a better and enhanced experience" will help the Explore Asheville staff to manage expectations for incoming guests.
Airport breaks daily travel records
Airport staff have made several recent visits to local government representatives, with Bleiweis discussing the steps the airport is taking to address the rapid growth they're experiencing amid their $400 million expansion during the June 25 City Council meeting.
Bleiweis said June 23 was not only the busiest day in TSA history — with over 3 million passengers screened across the country — but that the Asheville Airport had the busiest day in its history.
On June 23, more than 6,000 passengers passed through AVL, "which is the busiest day we've seen in the history of the airport," Bleiweis said, noting that the fourth TSA checkpoint would "hopefully" be established by the middle of July to relieve "some issues with the number of passengers."
Bleiweis also noted that the additional TSA lane would act as a "secondary backup" in case of equipment failure.
Additionally, the airport is "about to contract for design" for a second parking garage at the airport, Bleiweis said, which could ease the frequent passenger complaints regarding parking availability. The airport has previously addressed the problem by opening more shuttle and overflow parking lots. The airport currently uses five shuttles to provide service to lots across the airport's campus.
The Asheville Regional Airport website suggests all passengers arrive at least two hours prior to boarding time.
Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
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