Passenger Growth Down in October as CLE Prepares for Holiday Travel Season
November 21, 2024
Press Releases
Cleveland, Ohio – November 21st, 2024 — In October, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) welcomed 848,460 guests, which is down 7.3 percent over October of 2023.
“Despite October coming in a bit lower than anticipated, we are still gearing up for a busy holiday travel season to close out the year,” said Bryant L. Francis, C.M., Director of Port Control. “Airport staff and partners are preparing for a stress-free and memorable experience for our guests arriving in and departing from Cleveland this holiday season.”
Although the airport’s monthly passenger activity is down year-over-year, airline load factors have improved, moving from 77% to 80%. Outside factors are impacting airports around the country, and seat capacity at CLE was reduced by several airlines during the month, with Spirit Airlines representing the largest decline.
Year-to-date, CLE passenger activity remains strong with 8,602,994 guests through October. This is a 4.5 percent increase over the same period in 2023.
Approximately 10,250,000 passengers are forecasted to fly through CLE in 2024 and the airport remains on track to finish the year near that total.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) is Northeast Ohio’s Gateway to the World. Serving 10,000,000 passengers annually with over 120 daily departures to 46 nonstop destinations, CLE is Northeast Ohio’s premier commercial airport. With nonstop service operating on 40 domestic and 5 international routes, it is the busiest airport serving State of Ohio metropolitan areas as ranked by passenger activity. Eleven passenger airlines and four all-cargo airlines operate regularly at CLE. The upcoming multi-phase Terminal Modernization Development Program will elevate the travel experience for all through an extensive transformation of terminal and related facilities. It is anticipated to begin in 2025, the Airport’s 100th Anniversary, and extend into the next decade.