‘Years to recover.’ See how much COVID-19 has hurt passenger traffic at Blue Grass Airport.

Blue Grass Airport has seen a sharp decline in passenger volume since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the travel restrictions it has brought on.

So far this year, total passenger volume (including passengers departing and arriving) at the airport is down by 48.8%, or more than 275,000 passenger arrivals and departures, according to numbers on the airport’s website.

The year actually started off briskly for the airport. In February, the total passenger volume was 104,228, up from February 2019, when just over 95,000 passengers passed through the airport.

However, by March, as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the number had decreased to 58,382 travelers, down from the 119,656 passengers the airport saw in March 2019.

April saw even lower travel numbers, with just 4,216 total passengers coming and going through the airport. That’s a decrease of more than 96 percent to April of last year, when the airport had 119,440 total passengers. The month of May saw an increase to 14,966 total passengers, but that figure was still 89 percent lower than the 132,582 passengers from May 2019.

The website did not provide statistics for June 2020, but Amy Caudill, director of marketing for the airport, said an uptick in leisure travel began around Memorial Day.

“Many passengers have been separated from out of town relatives for quite a while now are taking trips to see them,” Caudill said. “In addition, we’re also starting to see travelers who are ready to vacation again.”

Caudill said in the month of June, the airport saw 74% fewer travelers than it saw in June 2019. In an effort to combat the overall decline, airlines are adding more flights for July and August.

“The aviation industry has been hit hard by the impacts of COVID-19, and we anticipate that it will take several years to recover to where we were prior to the pandemic,” Caudill said. “Our goal is to provide an environment that is as safe as possible for our passengers by continuing to follow CDC guidelines and best practices.”

Caudill said the airport is working closely with airlines to ensure passenger safety in the terminal. These measures include installing plexiglass shields at ticket counters and security checkpoints, along with making sure passengers are wearing masks and following other protective guidelines.

“We very much want our passengers to feel comfortable and know that we are doing as much as we can to provide a healthy travel experience,” Caudill said.

To help offset some losses incurred since the beginning of the pandemic, the airport has received around $9 million from the government through the CARES Act, which provides economic aid to American businesses amid the outbreak.

Caudill said the airport is using the money to help cover payroll expenses and debt service payments.

Various airlines have also made changes to their operations due to the pandemic. Delta Airlines has put caps on the number of passengers on each flight and is offering complimentary beer and wine to domestic first class and Delta Comfort+ passengers on flights greater than 500 miles, according to the Delta website.

According to a June 30, 2020 press release from the Transportation Security Administration, the body that oversees security for air travel, the lowest passenger volume in its history was recorded on April 14, 2020, with around 87,500 passengers. Since then travel has steadily increased.

Due to the increase in passenger volume, the TSA has enacted several changes to ensure passenger and airport safety, such as agents wearing masks and allowing up to 12 ounces of hand sanitizer per passenger to be carried onto planes.

“TSA remains committed to the health and safety of our frontline workers and airline travelers,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in the release. “We anticipate these prudent changes in our screening procedures, which seek to limit physical contact and increase physical distance, will achieve the security standard the public expects and facilitate the increasing population of travelers this summer.”