Acadiana Business

Lafayette Regional breaks new passenger records

by Heather Miller

The record-breaking news comes less than a month after airport officials began publicly discussing how to fund a new terminal for the airport, a much-needed project that's expected to cost $60 million and take upwards of five years to find funding.

September 2011 was the busiest month in the history of the Lafayette Regional Airport, topping the record number of passengers who flew in and out of Lafayette more than a year ago in May 2010.

According to KATC,  21,093 passengers boarded planes in September, with 22,373 passengers also getting off their planes in Lafayette during the same month. Both are new records for the airport, Lafayette Airport Commission Chairman Paul A. Guilbeau tells KATC.

All airlines reported 77 percent capacity:

"September was not only a great month, but one for the record books. Through the third quarter of 2011, 338,611 people chose to fly Lafayette," says Guilbeau. "This is a tremendous show of support for our airport and we appreciate all the Acadiana travelers who are choosing Lafayette Regional Airport. The immediate future looks bright for us. With the addition of a nonstop carrier to Las Vegas in November and another carrier bringing in larger aircraft with more seats in December, we anticipate breaking last year's record for passengers."

The record-breaking news comes less than a month after airport officials began publicly discussing how to fund a new terminal for the airport, a much-needed project that's expected to cost $60 million and take upwards of five years to find funding.

According to The Advocate, the airport is funded partially by a 1.71-mill property tax, but "that money can be used only for operations and maintenance, not new facilities."

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