August passengers at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport fell 59% from August of last year. In the U.S., passenger traffic fell 71%. There were a total of 30,372 enplanements this August compared to 73,248 last August. For the year, passenger volume is down 55.72%. However, we have seen steady growth since bottoming out in April.
August flights were down 33.8% and seats down 32.9% from last year. The average load factor for the month was 48%, partly due to the increase in capacity. The airlines anticipated stronger demand in the summer months and increased seats 21% from July to August. Passenger demand did not materialize due to the increase in Covid-19 cases. Airlines are closely monitoring booking demand and are publishing short-term schedules instead of six months or more.
Outgoing cargo was flat while incoming cargo fell 4.8% in August. For the year, outgoing cargo is slightly up over last year at .51% and incoming cargo is down 8.53%.
General Aviation, which includes itinerant and local aircraft, was down 13.58% and for the year, down 25.71%.
View our aviation reports in Airport Business.
