The Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg is inching closer to a return to pre-pandemic passenger levels.
The airport welcomed 1.2 million people during its third quarter, which covered the period between July and September. In a media release issued Monday, the Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA) noted that the recent numbers put the airport within 99 per cent of the traffic levels seen in the same period in 2019.
It also noted that Aug. 14 of this year was the airport’s busiest day on record, with 15,400 people passing through its doors.
“The last three months have been really encouraging,” WAA president and CEO Nick Hays said in the release. “We not only experienced a significant milestone with the busiest day on record, but we also celebrated the launch of a non-stop route to Atlanta and a new partnership with Porter Airlines. Connecting communities is at our core and we’re continually working with our partners to bring more choice and convenience to Manitobans.”
Further breaking down the numbers, the release noted that revenue stood at $45.3 million for the third quarter — an 18 per cent increase from last year’s quarter. Net income sat at $8.1 million, up from $4.4 million compared to the previous year.
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Speaking to Global News, vice-president of external affairs Tyler MacAfee said that such demand for travel is a positive thing.
“People want to get out and explore the world. The challenge right now for the industry is how do we meet that demand?” MacAfee said. “We’re finding pilot shortages, supply-chain issues when it comes to equipment and engine parts, and things like that that are slowing recovery a little bit.”
While the upward trend in travelling numbers are encouraging, MacAfee said the airport still has a little more ground to cover before declaring a full recovery. He also noted that this goes hand in hand with the airport’s financial recovery.
The gap between operating costs and revenue will, he said, take a few years to recover.
“Our revenue is generated off people using the airport. And that’s partly why the pandemic was so tough. Our operating costs are fixed… we needed to continue operating the airport, but we didn’t have the travellers which produced the revenue,” MacAfee said. “It’s great that we’re getting passengers back. That’s the first step in our recovery. But it is going to take a couple more years financially.”
In an earlier interview, the agency said that it is forecasting over four million passengers by the end of the year.
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