RI International Airport Now Fastest-Growing Hub Airport in New England
GoLocalProv News Team
RI International Airport Now Fastest-Growing Hub Airport in New England
According to the airport, December 2024 proved a landmark month, marking the airport's best performance since 1997 with 27.3% growth compared to the year before, propelling it past the 4 million passenger milestone for the year, which is even more than before the pandemic in 2019.
Based on FAA data for the other hub airports in the region, PVD is the fastest-growing hub airport in New England for 2024, and also offers the most per capita destinations to Rhode Islanders, with 34.7 routes per million population.
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"The growth that we experienced last month, we have not seen in almost three decades," said Jonathan N. Savage, Rhode Island Airport Corporation Board Chair. "It took an enormous amount of effort and planning to get to where we are today. On behalf of the board, we could not be more pleased with this accomplishment."
Airport in Focus
RI International writes:
"Air travelers and airlines alike are taking note of PVD's remarkable ascent. Recent announcements by airlines have sought to tap into the increased demand for travel through Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport by increasing the availability of seats to popular destinations and adding new nonstop connections throughout the nation. Regional travelers are also noticing Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport's emergence as one of the top airports in the world, with easy access, affordable parking, a growing selection of local culinary delights, and as a result, more travelers are choosing to 'FlyRI.'
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Rhode Island receives $2.7 billion in economic benefits from civil aviation, including over 19,000 jobs and the related economic activity they provide. Growth in passenger volume has been assisted by airport investments made by both the state and federal governments, including destination marketing efforts spearheaded by the Governor and General Assembly. Other improvements in airport infrastructure and facilities have been made possible thanks to federal funds secured by Senator Jack Reed and the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, who have secured funding for both runway and terminal upgrades, with more improvements scheduled for the coming years.
PVD is becoming well known as the easy and affordable alternative to BOS and has grown to become one of Breeze Airways most active bases, with more routes and based aircraft planned for the near future as Breeze Airways announced plans to increase the number of just Breeze's nonstop destinations at PVD to 35 over the coming years, including international routes when Breeze has the proper preparations in place. PVD has also seen significant growth among other airlines, with new routes offered by Southwest Airlines and JetBlue's addition of daily nonstop service to San Juan and the recent announcement of new nonstop flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport."