Wyoming is still flying low, but higher than the rest of the nation.
The latest flight numbers from Yellowstone Regional Airport have been released, along with an analysis of how the year has been (and should continue to be) for airports across the state. Of the 9 Wyoming airports compared – Cody, Casper, Jackson, Gillette, Sheridan, Cheyenne, Laramie, Rock Springs, and Riverton – the patterns look pretty much alike. Steady, even higher numbers of enplanements in the beginning of the year, followed by a sharp drop to almost nil in April, followed by a rise in passengers as sharp as seen in previous years, even if isn’t nearly as high. Jackson is the state’s highest performing airport by a significant margin. It’s the only airport to see more than 100 thousand passengers this year already, and should easily pass 300 thousand by year’s end. Casper came in a distant 2nd, followed by Cody.
Nationally, Wyoming is faring better than the national averages. Year-to-date total passenger numbers statewide are down 45% in Wyoming, compared to -58% nationally. July statewide passenger numbers were down -53%, compared to -73% nationally. Looking forward to next month, capacity for September is down -27% for the state and -45% nationally.
Yellowstone Regional is following these state and national trends. Enplanements were up slightly before the pandemic hit, so it’s not unreasonable to assume Cody would’ve seen another record-setting year had it not been for COVID-19. And there’s every reason to think records will be set and broken in the post-pandemic years to come.
