The St. John’s International Airport Authority says while business trended in the right direction last year, there’s still a way to go.
The authority’s AGM last night saw the release of its 2022 annual report, showing that passenger traffic levels were up over 2021, but were still below pre-pandemic levels.
Passenger traffic in 2022 was 74 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, with the summer season at 84 per cent. Pandemic restrictions following the emergence of the Omicron variant last year led to a 60 per cent decrease in passenger traffic from January-March.
Chief Financial Officer Laura Gough says 2022 was a financially stronger year than expected. She says they had an excess of $3.7 million over expenses.@VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/4Qg2iEw2Uy
— Noah Sheppard (@SheppardNoah14) May 2, 2023
The airport authority finished the year with in excess of $3.7 million over expenses.
Airport Authority Board Chair Tom Williams says things are looking up. He says they saw great growth rates over the last nine months with the numbers all trending upward.
Williams believes passenger numbers will naturally return to pre-pandemic levels.
He says people’s confidence level in travelling is returning. He says they initially predicted it would take three to five years to recover, but they are ahead of schedule and expect the travelling public to fully return at the end of this year heading into next year.
