Passenger travel soars at Rockford airport during first half of 2022

Ken DeCoster, Rockford Register Star
·2 min read
A sign outside the Chicago Rockford International Airport is seen here on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019, in Rockford.
A sign outside the Chicago Rockford International Airport is seen here on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019, in Rockford.

ROCKFORD — Passenger traffic spiked by more than 35% at the Chicago Rockford International Airport during the first six months of 2022 compared to the same period a year ago.

Airport officials said 64,578 people flew out of RFD from Jan. 1 through June 30 compared to 47,743 enplanements during the first half of 2021.

“The planes are going out very full,” Chicago Rockford International Airport deputy director of operations and planning Zack Oakley said. “We’re seeing an average load factor between 94 and 95% for pretty much all of our destinations this season.”

Passenger traffic at RFD was up by nearly 47% during the first half of 2022 compared to figures from the first half of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic first spread in the U.S.

More:5 reasons why Rockford is one of the fastest growing cargo airports in the country

Figures from the first half of this year were down 6.4% compared to the first six months of 2019 and 3.2% below figures from the first half of 2018.

Passenger traffic numbers for the first few months of 2018, 2019 and 2020 included Apple Vacation flights out of RFD to Cancun, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.

Apple discontinued those flights during the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, and the flights haven’t returned.

“It’s not that the market isn’t there, it’s more to do with aircraft availability at a reasonable price,” Oakley said. “It doesn’t look like we’re going to get Apple back this season, but hopefully that market turns back around for next winter.”

The airport is currently served by Allegiant Air, which offers flights to five nonstop destinations, including Las Vegas, Nevada; Phoenix, Arizona; and Orlando, Fort Myers/Punta Gorda and Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida.

Flights from RFD to Sarasota, Florida, will resume in the fall, Oakley said.

Ken DeCoster covers business news and features. Contact him at 815-987-1391, kdecoster@rrstar.com or @DeCosterKen. 

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford airport air travel up by more than 35 percent in 2022