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Airport passenger and flight counts rose in August; county says a prior computer glitch is fixed
Summary
County officials reported an increase in aircraft movements and passenger counts in August—attributed to tourism and system fixes—and said state reporting glitches that had lowered recent figures appear resolved.
Commissioners asked about a recent uptick in aircraft movements and passenger counts at the Knox County Airport during the Sept. 9 meeting. The airport manager said August saw higher activity tied to tourism events such as the lobster festival and a blues festival, and that weather had been favorable. "August was a great month for the appointments," the airport manager said.
The manager also said changes to FAA reporting systems and an internal computer glitch had previously depressed reported totals. Staff said they worked with the state to fix two or three issues and that the reporting appears to be running correctly again. "We think it's up to run again," the airport manager said, describing fixes made "to the best of the state's ability."
Discussion at the meeting included passenger counts for scheduled carriers such as Cape Air and Penobscot Island Air. The manager said the airport was approaching reported totals of roughly 8,000 through August for the season and explained how a 10,000-passenger threshold feeds into allocation formulas for federal funds. "I think we're allocated $1,300,000 as the minimum," the manager said when explaining how federal allocation levels relate to activity thresholds.
Commissioners congratulated airport staff on the improved numbers and on staff recognition. No formal action was taken; the airport manager said federal funding and project budgets remain on track for multiyear projects even if thresholds fluctuate.
Ending
Airport staff will continue monitoring passenger and movement data; commissioners were informed staff addressed recent reporting issues and will track federal allocation thresholds ahead of budgeting.
