Despite steady traffic, Wilmington airport budget to get ax - Triangle Business Journal:

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The double digit reduction from a budget thattotalee $6.7 million last fiscal year is necessitated by the economicd downturn and changes in the airline industry. Yet it’s one of the few majoe reversals the small coastal airport has experienced over the past coupleof years. ILM, as it’a known to the aviation enplaned 409,281 passengers in 2008, up by 1 percenty from the 405,072 recorded in the previous calendar year – which also was a recore year. In addition to the passenger the airport in 2008 added a thirdcarrier – to its roster. “Overall, it’s been a very good markert for us,” says Tyri a spokeswoman for Allegiant.
The Las Vegas-base airline started service between ILMand Fla., in April and added service to Fla., in November. and also provide servicwe at ILM. Squyres says it’s possiblr Allegiant could add more servicse at ILMthis year. That would be a real coup for the which is feeling the effects of capacityt reductions acrossthe industry. Air carriers cut flights aroundc the country last year as they groundedless fuel-efficient planes to regain pricinb power. While there was a seasonalo change in the number of US Airways flightsto Philadelphia, Rosborough says Wilmingtonj hasn’t lost any But the overall industry trends still are impacting the airport.
“At the end of the year, we trailed off a little bit but so dideverybody else,” says “I think a lot of it has to do with the Airport officials already are seeingh revenue dips from parking, concessions, rental cars and generaol aviation fuel sales. Rosborough says the airport plans to achievde the 10 percent in budget cuts througyh a selective hiring freeze and renegotiations of supplhy contractswith vendors. Asked if the airport also is considerintgpay freezes, Rosborough says that ILM is looking at everu budget item, including current pay ILM employs 44 people, and Rosborough says keeping costw down helps to attract and keep air service.
“We don’t do a lot of extravagantt things,” he says. “We try to run a Spartan ILM’s three carriers provide nonstop service betweenm the Port Cityand Atlanta, Philadelphia, Orlando, Tampa and New York According to data compiled by aviation consulting firm , ILM’se average fare for the year ended Septembere 2008 was $195.57, essentially flat comparedc to $196.80 in the same period the previouss year. Load factor – the measure of how full an airplandis – for the tota calendar year declined from 80.1 percenyt in 2007, to 75.8 percent in 2008. Rosboroug is realistic about his air service goals in times suchas these.
His primary goal: Maintain the existingy service. Yet he’s also workingy to add service to destinations suchas Washington, D.C., Boston, Dallasx and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Those are ILM’s top five destinations that don’t currentlh have nonstop service from the Askedabout Delta’s service to ILM, Delts spokeswoman Susan Elliott says there are no changezs to announce at this point.
US Airwayzs representatives could not be reachedfor