Lehigh Valley International Airport is inching back to normal passenger traffic levels as people begin to fly again following the COVID-19 shutdown.
The Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority said 88,528 passengers used the airport in June, which is close to the 89,609 passengers that used the airport in June 2019, before the pandemic.
Comparatively, only 78,851 passengers used the airport during the summer of 2020, June through August, and the number represents a 238.9% increase over June of last year.
“Energy within the terminal complex is palpable as you can sense the excitement from passengers to again be taking off for their family vacation or leisure getaway,” said Thomas R. Stoudt, executive director of the LNAA. “The airport industry didn’t anticipate such a quick surge, but it’s a fantastic feeling to see the influx of travelers.”
Individually, Delta reported a massive passenger increase of 2,151%, United jumped 298%, Allegiant moved up 183% and American finished 118% ahead of last June.
Air cargo was also up over last year with 20,097,501 pounds processed through LVIA last month. That’s an increase of 32.4% from June 2020.