Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) continues to break records. July 2023 is now the airport’s record-breaking month of passenger utilization, with 244,504 passengers flying to or from AVL, a 24.4% increase over July 2022. Of note, the July numbers far surpassed the June 2023 record number of 226,839 passengers and the first month in the airport’s 62-year history in which more than 200,000 passengers were served.
“It’s important to pause and note these historic moments,” said Lew Bleiweis, A.A.E., President and CEO. “The double-digit percentage growth month after month, year after year, has been astounding, and I thank our community for continuing to take advantage of the amazing flight options available at AVL. I also want to say that we are working hard to keep up with this growth and genuinely appreciate our travelers’ patience as we build the future AVL.”
AVL grew to be the third busiest airport in North Carolina in 2022, and this year was ranked 101 out of 400+ commercial service airports in the United States in terms of passenger utilization.
The airport broke ground on AVL Forward this month, the most significant infrastructure project in its history, a project more than five years in the making due to complex design, engineering, financing, bidding and several years of preparatory construction. This milestone project will result in a new airport terminal 150% larger than before, and the first concourse will be open for passenger use in approximately two years.
More parking has also been constructed, with more on the way by fall of this year.
“The growth momentum is real, and we are grateful to our airline partners for their continued investment in our region,” said Bleiweis. “And I can’t say this enough: thank you to our region’s travelers for understanding the growth and temporary space challenges we are experiencing. We’re moving as quickly as possible to grow our infrastructure. The end result will be worth it, and I believe we will all be so proud of our region’s airport.”
To learn more about AVL Forward, visit www.flyavl.com/avlforward.