In the month of July, the number of passengers using Middle Georgia Regional Airport (MCN) to fly to Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) on Contour Airlines or to Biloxi on the weekend charter flight with Sun Country Air continued to increase.

Almost 3,100 passengers came through the airport (1,529 boarding at MCN), which was an average of 90.7% of load capacity. With July’s numbers included, 16,798 people used MCN (with 8,446 boarding here) since January.

“All of the feedback we’ve gotten about the passenger service here has been very positive, and that reputation is really starting to spread throughout our community and region,” says Airport Manager Erick D’Leon. “We have what people are looking for when it comes to passenger service: reliable and comfortable flights, free parking, and a hassle-free check-in and boarding process”

The number of passengers boarding at MCN is very important to the future of the airport because it can determine the amount of federal funds it receives. MCN is part of the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program and currently is able to access $150,000 per year for improvements to infrastructure like runways, taxiways, and airfield lights. If MCN is able to reach 10,000 enplanements (the number of people boarding a plane at MCN) in a year, they will be able to access one million dollars of federal funds.

“If we continue to see this number of passengers boarding here at the Airport, we could surpass our 10,000 enplanements in August or September, which is beyond our expectations and is very exciting,” says D’Leon. “We’re talking to people that are driving from as far as Atlanta and Valdosta to fly out of here thanks to what Contour, Sun Country, and our Airport have to offer.”

According to a True Market Study, there is a market and demand for passenger service in Middle Georgia. There are more than one million passengers in MCN’s catchment area using Atlanta’s airport, with the top five destinations being: New York/Newark, Washington / Baltimore, Chicago, South Florida, and Las Vegas. To view the full study, click here.

“The only question we have now is what other destination can we throw in the mix that will offer the same success story; and that’s what we’re working on today,” adds D’Leon. “So from our perspective, this is just the beginning.”