(Fredericton, January 20, 2014) It has been another record-breaking year for passenger traffic at the Fredericton International Airport. In total, just under 300,000 passengers either departed from or arrived at the Fredericton airport over the past year – an increase of nearly five-and-a-half percent over the previous year.

The Fredericton airport was a particularly busy place in August, which averaged 1,000 people a day in or out.

The continued growth accounts for an increase in traffic of nearly 50 per cent over the 12 years since the Fredericton International Airport Authority (FIAA) took over airport operations from the federal government. (201,620 passengers in 2002 vs. 297,867 this past year)

FIAA President and CEO David Innes says growing traffic is important because, “it gives us a stronger case to take to airlines when we’re going after new routes or carriers, and passenger traffic is where our revenue comes from.”

Those increased revenues, Innes says, have enabled the airport to undertake much-needed work on the runways and terminal over the past twelve years.

Looking forward, though, he sees a need for expansion. “We see a lot of potential for growth here at the Fredericton airport. In 2013 alone, 15,000 new passengers travelled through our airport.”

The terminal was designed to handle about 200,000 passengers a year and is getting more and more crowded as traffic levels continue to increase.

“These increases” says Innes, “combined with our efforts to convince airlines to bring in new routes, are why we are now turning our attention to a terminal expansion. The time has come. Expansion is important as it will allow us to enhance our role as a crucial driver of economic growth in the Fredericton region.”