Total Passenger Volume Up 15% From May
June marked a new passenger traffic high at RDU since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, as more than 887,000 guests flew through the airport during the month — almost a 15 percent increase over May.
Total passenger volume for the month was up 324 percent over June 2020, and down 33 percent from June 2019. The 159 average daily departures in June reflect a 157 percent increase over June 2020, and a 30 percent decrease from June 2019.
“As RDU’s airline partners continue to restore connectivity to the Research Triangle region, we are encouraged by business travel trends heading into the fall,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “Recouping as much of RDU’s lost corporate traveler volume as possible is essential to the airport’s recovery effort.”
The number of people flying for business dropped dramatically because of the pandemic and has been slower to recover than leisure travel due to corporate travel bans, virtual meeting platforms and international travel restrictions. RDU’s travel mix prior to the pandemic was split evenly between business and leisure. Business travel has recovered to about 35 percent of RDU’s travel mix as workers return to the office and corporations restart travel.
La Farm Bakery + Café Grand Opening: Following Thursday’s meeting of the Airport Authority Board of Directors, Authority staff joined representatives from Mera, LLC to celebrate the official grand opening of Terminal 2’s new flagship restaurant, La Farm Bakery + Café. Recognized among the “Best Artisanal Bakeries in North America,” the local favorite – led by Cary master baker Lionel Vatinet and wife Missy, author of A Passion For Bread – serves French bistro-inspired signature dishes including the Croque Madame and white-chocolate mini baguettes. The restaurant pays homage to the region with products from Durham’s Counter Culture Coffee and other local artisans.
Guests can find La Farm Bakery + Café in Terminal 2’s Marketplace.
Runway Replacement Project Public Scoping Presentation: As the Authority begins the process to replace its longest runway, 5L-23R, the public will soon have the opportunity to learn about the environmental process the Authority will use to replace RDU’s primary commercial runway and provide comments on components of the Environmental Assessment (EA) process. An EA scoping presentation will be posted online July 21. Members of the public can view the scoping presentation and sign up for email notifications about the runway replacement project on the project website. Public comments will be accepted from July 21 through Aug 23 and may be submitted electronically or by regular mail.