ROA passenger traffic up 7.1% from last year

The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport’s (ROA) January grew 7.1% on a year-over-year basis, with 53,016 passengers flying in January 2020, the airport announced Friday.

ROA has sustained passenger growth since September 2016. In January 2019 to January 2020 there were 3,552 more passengers — 114 more passengers per day.

“Passenger demand is a critical factor when speaking with airlines regarding improving and increasing air service to our region,” Timothy T. Bradshaw, executive director of the ROA Commission, said in a statement. “Our carriers have added capacity at ROA and our customers have utilized it, which has led to carriers adding more capacity and hopefully new destinations.”

Capacity has increased by 4.2% on a year-over-year basis, ROA reports, and also credits fare moderation and improved reliability on airlines has led to the increase in traffic.

ROA is the primary airport for the Blue Ridge and New River Valley regions. It typically serves more than 719,000 passengers per year. American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines and Allegiant Air all service the airport. Passengers can fly nonstop to Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago-O’Hare, New York-LaGuardia, Philadelphia and Washington-Dulles.