Asheville Regional Airport reports 2.17 million passengers in 2024, cites Hurricane Helena for dip

Mr. Lu West of Asheville Regional Airport presented the authority’s 2024 operational report to the Fletcher Town Council, saying the airport handled 2,174,124 passengers last year and emphasizing that Hurricane Helena was the major reason for a modest decline from 2023.

The report, Mr. Lu West said, shows six carriers operating at AVL and 27 nonstop destinations; seats in the market rose 2.7% to 1,410,577 and the reported load factor was 77.57%. “Basically, it’s all due to Hurricane Helena,” he told council members as he reviewed monthly recovery patterns.

Why it matters: Mr. Lu West said the airport’s most recent regional economic-impact study estimates AVL contributes about $3.85 billion to the western North Carolina economy, and the authority is investing operating surpluses back into capital projects.

Details from the presentation included a completed south shuttle parking lot (approximately a $10 million project), a ribbon-cutting for the first half of the new terminal, and work on a new FAA control tower near Clip Park Drive. Mr. Lu West also described a short-term spike in operations immediately after Helena, when military and general-aviation flights supported rescue and supply missions. “During the two weeks after Helena, we were averaging 900 flights a day,” he said.

Mr. Lu West told the council that the airport’s operating revenues were about $28,891,000 in 2024, operational expenses were roughly $14.8 million, and the authority’s total assets were about $314,327,687 at year-end — an increase of about $40.7 million over the prior year. He said those net resources are being returned to capital projects.

Council members asked about a planned conference-center hotel and the golf-course recovery. Mr. Lu West said Dreamcatchers, the course manager, expects work on the hotel to begin later this year and that reconstruction of the course and relocation of a cart path were completed to avoid vulnerable riverbank areas. He also said the airport is partnering with Conserving Carolina on a conservation easement and hopes state stream-restoration grants will support riverbank repairs.

Mr. Lu West noted tourism recovery month to month — with October worst hit immediately after the hurricane — and said the airport expects stronger seat numbers heading into fall. He also noted that Governor Stein visited the airport this week as part of a western North Carolina tourism push.

The airport answered additional questions from council and thanked Fletcher for its partnership. The presentation concluded with an offer to provide council members the full annual operational report and supporting documents.