CIRA reports travel down 57% in 2020

Central Illinois Regional Airport Deputy Director Fran Strebing spoke with WJBC’s Scott Miller. (WJBC file photo)

 

By Neil Doyle

BLOOMINGTON – Like so many other airports across the country, travel was down more than 50% last year at Central Illinois Regional Airport due to the ongoing pandemic.

“Our passenger count was down in 2020 compared to 2019 by about 57%,” CIRA Deputy Director Fran Strebing told WJBC’s Scott Miller. “Not unexpected and not unusual, pretty much in line with the rest of airports across the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Strebing said passenger numbers were also down around 57% last month.

Leisure travel picked up in the summer, but business travel has remained down since March, said Strebing. She said it’s hard to predict what 2021 will look like, but there is some confidence with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

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