Winnipeg Richardson International Airport welcomed more than 1.1 million travelers in the first three months of 2019, up 7.5 per cent from last year, says the Winnipeg Airports Authority.
By the end of March, the numbers were trending even higher, with a 9.5 percent increase.
It’s a “very solid” start, said Tyler MacAfee, Vice President of Communications and Government Relations for the authority.
Freight transport is up this year as well — the WAA measures freight performance by the average weight of a flight at takeoff, and Winnipeg’s flights are seeing a nine per cent weight spike in 2019.
“A lot of people don’t know that Winnipeg is one of the busiest cargo airports in Canada,” said MacAfee.
“When you look at those freighter flights that are just pure cargo, we’re actually the busiest. The fact that those are up is a real positive for us.”
All of this has culminated in $36.2 million in revenue, up from $34.1 million at this time in 2018.
“Demand for air service in this region remains strong and we continue and we continue to work with out partners to deliver on the needs of out customers,” said Barry Rempel, President and CEO of WAA.
Meanwhile, construction continues on the $27 million Ground Services Equipment Building, which is set to open in the fall, and work has started on upgrades to one of the airport’s runways.
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