The Springfield-Branson National Airport saw another record increase in passengers in 2017. A total of 993,129 people flew out of the airport last year, up 4.2% from 2016 and a 35.7% increase since 2011.
According to airport officials, the growth in 2017 was propelled by several factors, including a strong economy in southwest Missouri, which resulted in more people flying.
Brian Weiler, Springfield’s director of aviation, hopes they’ll surpass the one million passenger benchmark this year. According to Weiler, Allegiant plans to add four to five more flights a week from Springfield this summer.
He said airlines increased the number of plane seats for sale in this market by more than 31,000 in 2017, “and that trend continues in the new year.” Airlines are doing that, he said, by adding destinations and using larger airplanes.
