The Deer Lake Regional Airport experienced a modest decrease in passenger traffic in 2017 when compared to the previous year.
The number of travelers to and from the airport in 2017 totalled 365,186, just 864 fewer than the record of 366,050 passengers set in 2016.
Passenger traffic was trending higher for the first eight months but decreased significantly during the later part of the year from September to December. Individual monthly records were established in January, April, May, June, July,
and August.
The month of August was the busiest month
ever with a record of 50,952 passengers, up slightly by 305 travelers over the previous record set in August of 2016.
Jamie Schwartz, airport CEO, indicated the travel trends for the year were both positive and concerning.
“On the positive side, we had the strongest tourism season ever and we anticipate that trend to continue in 2018,” said Schwartz. “However, we are concerned with the declining traffic numbers within Newfoundland and Labrador resulting, in part, from the winding down of the Muskrat Falls Hydro Project in Labrador.”
