FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Carl
Olson
Executive
Director
Central
Illinois
Regional
Airport
Phone
309.663.7384
2007 BEST YEAR ON RECORD FOR CIRA
-
Passenger
and Freight Numbers Highest in CIRA History-
(
Bloomington
,
IL
, January 14, 2007) The numbers are
in….and
Central
Illinois
Regional
Airport
at Bloomington-Normal has recorded an all time high in passenger and freight
numbers for 2007.
“The airport celebrated record-breaking passenger numbers in 2006.
The fact that the 2007 passenger traffic numbers have surpassed 2006 is
extraordinary,” said Paul Harmon, Chairman of the
Central
Illinois
Regional
Airport
. “We experienced an increase of 2.4 % in passengers while freight traffic in
and out of the airport increased dramatically at thirty-four percent (34%)”.
Travelers from throughout the central
Illinois
region continue to use the airport’s five airline services. In 2007, a total
of 532,075 passengers flew on the airport’s commercial airlines.
DHL serves the airport with air cargo operations twice daily at
their regional facility on airport property.
“Our passengers tell us they like the convenience of staying in central
Illinois to begin their travel, the low fares and choices they find from CIRA
and the ease of traveling through our facility with the free parking and
accessible amenities.’ , according
to
Carl
Olson, Executive Director of the Central Illinois Regional Airport. “This
airport has a history of growth and it is exciting to see that continue when
other airports in similar markets across the country are experiencing a decline
in their passenger counts.”
Central
Illinois
Regional
Airport
offers air service on five airlines – AirTran Airways, American Eagle, Delta
Connection,
Northwest Airlink
, and United Express with connectivity throughout the world.
A loyalty program, CIRA Rewards, which began in 2006, was designed to
reward the most frequent travelers in and out of
Central Illinois
. There are over 1,000 members in the program.
CIRA’s other services include five car rental agencies and several food,
beverage and retail shops. Free WiFi
is available throughout the building and there is no charge for automobile
parking. ##