Thirteen airlines have declared bankruptcy since 2007 and 158,000 full-time airline jobs have been shed since 9/11. If times are tough, they”™ve been disastrous for the airline industry.
Diannae Ehler reported those numbers to the Stewart Airport Commission at its last meeting of 2009 on Nov. 17, offering something of a silver lining.
The good news for Stewart International Airport is that, despite the downturn, it has been holding passenger numbers steady. “We were already hit when the fuel prices skyrocketed,” said Ehler, “so when the recession hit, we were already seeing passenger numbers shrinking.”
Stewart is predicted to end up serving 400,000 passengers for 2009, or approximately 30,000 passengers a month. The numbers reached nearly 900,000 in 2007. The Port Authority bought the airport in November 2007.
While Stewart may be on the mid-Hudson”™s radar, it is not on airline decision makers”™ minds, said Ehler. She said there are perceptions and misconceptions about the Orange-county based airport the Port Authority needs to overcome.
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Emergencies might actually help. In getting carriers to divert airplanes to Stewart in case of that blizzard in Cleveland or that fogbank in Newark, it gives the Port Authority an opportunity to familiarize pilots with the location. “They don”™t have a say in who flies out of what airport,” said Ehler, “but they certainly get to know the airport and they do report feedback.”
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It doesn”™t hurt Stewart”™s earnings, either, because it receives landing fees and gives its fixed-base operators a chance to service the diverted planes.
To make Stewart more appealing, Ehler said the PA has created a brochure of restaurants and hotels in the airport”™s immediate area in case of a layover. “Why not capitalize on what we have right here to airlines who don”™t want passengers sleeping in the terminal? There are plenty of hotels right here as well as places to eat.”
Any and all use helps build name recognition for Stewart.
The PA is also conducting a business travel survey to learn how and when its local business community uses the airport ”“ or why members aren”™t. SAC Vice Chairman Louis Heimbach told Ehler that when the airport was populated by several airlines in the mid-”™90s, “they had good passenger loads and were priced competitively. What we need are more airlines with more direct destinations. If we can get them here, we will get the passengers here.”
The commission was established to be the business community”™s eyes, ears and voice regarding airport activity.
Ehler took the opportunity to introduce two new additions to Stewart: Richmor Aviation, which plans to build a new 50,000-square-foot hangar and begin a full flight school in December, according to Rick Brandt, charter/management sales for the Columbia County Airport-based FBO. “We have always wanted to have a presence at Stewart,” said Brandt, “and now we”™ve accomplished that goal.”
Stewart continues to improve its parking area in front of the terminal, adding additional spaces. “The airlines will come back,” said Ehler, “and when the market improves, we will be ready.”
