OAKLAND — Oakland International Airport passenger traffic zoomed higher in 2021 compared with the year before, fresh evidence that the travel hub has begun to recover from coronavirus-spawned maladies.
Passenger trips through Oakland airport in 2021 jumped 76.2% above 2020, airport officials reported Tuesday.
“After a challenging year of demanding work and dedication by the team and our partners at Oakland International Airport, we are proud of what we have been able to accomplish in 2021,” said Bryant Francis, director of aviation with the Port of Oakland.
An estimated 8.14 million passengers traveled through Oakland airport during 2021, counting arrivals and departures.
Despite Oakland airport’s big improvement over 2020, the totals for 2021 remained 39.1% below the 13.38 million passengers who traveled through the air hub during 2019.
2019 was the final full year before coronavirus-linked business shutdowns and travel restrictions began in 2020.
The 2021 totals were also 40.1% below the 13.59 million passengers who traveled through Oakland airport in 2018, the year when the air travel hub established an all-record for passenger trips.
On Feb. 4, Frontier Airlines, a new air carrier at Oakland, began service to Denver, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
Other new routes announced in 2021 by the airlines that serve OAK include:
— Allegiant to Bozeman, Montana.
— Delta to Los Angeles and Detroit.
— Southwest to Santa Barbara; Eugene, Oregon; and Bellingham, Washington.
— Spirit to Philadelphia.
In addition, Oakland airport added a number of new concessions during 2021, officials said.
Subway, Oaklandish Coffee Collective and Peet’s Coffee all added concessions at Oakland last year.
“With new routes introduced, new concession locations, and a 76% increase in total passengers compared to 2020, travelers can count on Oakland airport to keep pushing forward in 2022 as our industry continues to recover,” Francis said.
Source: www.mercurynews.com