THE NUMBER of people using the Northwest Regional Airport continues to climb with May’s numbers being the second best of any month.
The 11,994 passenger movements for May fell just short of the best-ever monthly total which was 12,319 last July.
May’s numbers were approximately 1,000 over those of April.
Airport manager Carman Hendry said May’s numbers confirm a pattern of increasing use which began last summer as the regional economy began to improve.
Up to the end of May this year, the number of passengers passing through the airport numbered 52,753, far and away clear of the January to May 2011 total of 44,125.
Last year 120,384 passengers passed through the airport, the second best year on record. The record year, so far, is 2007 with 122,070 passengers.
The two airlines connecting Terrace with Vancouver, Air Canada Jazz and Hawkair, have both added weekday flights and have beefed up weekend flights to meet demand.
The airport does not track the number of passengers using private or chartered aircraft. If it did, passenger numbers would be higher.
