Detroit Metro Airport Welcomed 35 Million Passengers in 2008

DETROIT, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Passenger traffic for calendar year 2008 at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) dropped a modest 2.4 percent compared to 2007 amidst major airline capacity cutbacks, according to preliminary data released today by the Wayne County Airport Authority’s (WCAA) Financial Planning & Analysis Division. A total of 35,135,828 passengers arrived at or departed from DTW last year — 877,650 fewer than in 2007.

The decline in passenger traffic in 2008 is largely attributed to major cuts in airline capacity in the fourth quarter. For the month of December alone, passenger traffic dropped 6 percent from 2.82 million in December 2007 to 2.65 million in December 2008.

Total international passenger traffic dropped by less than one percent in 2008. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines plans to inaugurate new non-stop flights from Detroit to Rome, Italy, and Shanghai, China, this summer.

Aircraft landings and take-offs (operations) at the airport declined only 1 percent for the year at 462,700.

“Given that airlines are cutting capacity worldwide in response to global economic conditions, a drop in air traffic — especially near the end of last year — was to be expected,” said WCAA CEO Lester Robinson. “That Detroit Metro fared well compared to many other airports in terms of lost passengers would indicate to us that our market is relatively strong and that we are well-positioned for growth when the economy turns around.”

See below for more data.

NB: Please note that these preliminary numbers are subject to revision.

                        December Calendar Year Monthly Summary
                          Preliminary as of January 30, 2009

                                Calendar Year           Calendar Year
                                     2008                    2007
                              December     YTD       December     YTD

    Total Passengers (1)    2,648,080  35,135,828   2,817,733  36,013,478

     Domestic
      Passengers (2)        2,418,721  31,948,579   2,562,956  32,795,922
     International
      Passengers              229,359   3,187,249     254,777   3,217,556
     Total Passengers       2,648,080  35,135,828   2,817,733  36,013,478

    Operations                 36,721     462,700      37,619     467,230

                                  CY 2008/2007
                                   % Change
                               December     YTD
    Total Passengers (1)        -6.0%      -2.4%

     Domestic
      Passengers (2)            -5.6%      -2.6%
     International
      Passengers               -10.0%      -0.9%
     Total Passengers           -6.0%      -2.4%

    Operations                  -2.4%      -1.0%

    (1) Total Passengers is defined as the number of passengers traveling
    outbound (enplaned) and inbound (deplaned) as reported to the
    Wayne County Airport Authority by the airlines operating at Detroit
    Metropolitan Airport
    (2) Canadian passengers pre-cleared, before entering the U.S., are
    reported as domestic arrivals and recorded as such by the Authority

    **Please Note: Airport statistics are subject to change as airlines
    report updates to Wayne County Airport Authority

SOURCE Wayne County Airport Authority