News Summary
Tallahassee International Airport reported a notable decline in passenger traffic for May, with a 6.9% decrease compared to the previous year. A total of 81,743 travelers passed through the airport, reflecting ongoing trends of reduced air travel. Despite month-to-month declines, there is cautious optimism with a long-term growth trend, including federal support for infrastructure improvements to enhance connectivity and capacity at the airport.
Tallahassee experienced a significant downturn in passenger traffic at its international airport in May 2025, with a reported decrease of 6.9% compared to the same month in 2024. The total number of passengers for May 2025 reached 81,743, a drop of 6,019 from 87,762 passengers recorded in May 2024.
This downward trend in passenger traffic is reflected in year-to-date comparisons, which show a decrease of 2.36% from January through May 2025 when measured against the same timeframe in 2024. Alongside the May statistics, there was also a slight reduction in passenger traffic during April 2025, which saw 79,423 passengers, marking a decrease of 1.0% from 80,229 passengers in April 2024.
Year-over-Year Performance
A closer look at airline performance reveals varied results among airlines operating at the airport. In May 2025, American Airlines reported an 11.5% decline in passenger numbers. Conversely, Delta Group experienced a notable increase of 12.9%, while Silver Airways observed an impressive rise of 52.9% in passenger traffic. This trend continued from April to May, where American Airlines again saw a decrease of 4.9%, while both Delta Group and Silver Airways increased their traffic by 11.7% and 96.7%, respectively.
Long-Term Trends
Despite the recent monthly declines, the airport’s annualized passenger count for May 2025 was recorded at 954,812, which represents a 4.75% increase from the previous year’s total of 911,557. This annualized figure is derived from the total traffic of the preceding 12 months, indicating some resilience in the overall travel patterns despite the disappointing month-on-month figures.
April 2025 also displayed an improvement in the annualized passenger count to 959,700, up 6.99% from 897,031 in April 2024. These figures indicate that while short-term trends show a decline, the long-term trajectory of traffic at Tallahassee International Airport remains cautiously optimistic.
Infrastructure Improvements and Federal Support
To bolster the airport’s infrastructure and support future growth, the city of Tallahassee has been awarded $6.7 million in federal grants designated for improvements in airport facilities, particularly in developing new taxiways and enhancing lighting systems. This funding comes from the Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) initiated by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FAA. Furthermore, since 2020, Tallahassee has successfully secured over $348 million in federal grants aimed at enhancing its transportation network and utilities.
This government support aligns with ongoing initiatives such as the Blueprint for the Airport Gateway, which focuses on improving connectivity between the airport and the city. The FAA is investing an overall $332 million in various airport infrastructure improvements across the nation, indicating a significant commitment to advancing air travel facilities and standards in the U.S.
As TIA navigates the current decline in passenger numbers, continued investments and developments could play a key role in reversing the trend and bolstering local and regional air travel in the future.
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Additional Resources
- Tallahassee Reports: May Airport Traffic Down 6.8%
- Wikipedia: Tallahassee International Airport
- WTXL: Tallahassee International Airport Experiencing Delays
- Google Search: Tallahassee Airport Traffic Trends
- Tallahassee Reports: City Receives $6.7M in Federal Grants for Airport
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Air Transport
- Tallahassee Reports: Tallahassee Airport Passenger Traffic Up 12.9%
- Google News: Tallahassee Airport Federal Grants
