Winnipeg airport returning to pre-pandemic numbers

The Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA) said that it is seeing an increase in customers now that travel restrictions have eased and people are more comfortable with travel.

On Monday, the WAA released its first-quarter results for 2022, which show that March was one of the busiest months at the Winnipeg airport since the pandemic began.

The company noted that a little more than 187,900 people travelled through the airport in March, which accounts for 44 per cent of the passengers it saw in the first three months of 2022.

Airport traffic in the first quarter of the year reached 62 per cent of pre-pandemic numbers. However, it was up by 314 per cent compared to the same time last year.

The WAA noted that on March 24, more than 9,400 people travelled through the airport, which was the most in a single day in more than two years.

Nick Hays, president and CEO of the WAA, described the first-quarter numbers as encouraging.

“The increase in traffic shows that our community is ready to travel again to see loved ones and explore the world, and our airline partners continue to add capacity because they recognize the strong demand in our region,” Hays said in a news release.

“We look forward to working with our partners to welcome even more people to the airport in the months ahead.”

The WAA’s consolidated revenue for the first quarter of 2022 was $24.4 million – an increase of 224 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The corporation’s earnings before interest, depreciation and taxes were $7 million.

The WAA noted that 1,120 cargo planes landed at the Winnipeg airport in the first quarter of the year, and work is continuing to solidify the airport’s status as an integral cargo hub.