CHRISTINE. CHRISTOPHER, I’LL TAKE IT FROM HERE. GREAT TO SEE YOU LIVE. THANK YOU. PIEDMONT TRIAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS GROWING IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. OUR SARAH SOWERS SPOKE TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ABOUT HIS UPCOMING PLANS FOR RENOVATIONS AND IMPROVING THE AIRPORT EXPERIENCE. TRENDS AND DATA SHOW THAT PTI PASSENGER TRAVEL AND CARGO FLIGHT NUMBERS HAVE RETURNED TO PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS. HOWEVER, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE PTI AIRPORT AUTHORITY SAYS THAT MORE ECONOMIC GROWTH IS ON THE HORIZON AS THE AS THE POPULATION IN THE AREA GROWS, THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE MORE PEOPLE FLYING. IT’S JUST A FACT. AND CERTAINLY THIS AREA IS GROWING. KEVIN BAKER, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE AIRPORT AUTHORITY, SAYS PASSENGER TRAVEL WAS UP BY 5% LAST YEAR AND UP ANOTHER 3% SO FAR THIS YEAR. THE AIRPORT IS GETTING READY FOR CONCOURSE RENOVATIONS AS WELL. IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE AIRPORT BE THE CALLING CARD AND THE WELCOME MAT TO THOSE WHO ARE ARRIVING HERE, ESPECIALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND ESPECIALLY WITH SOME OF THESE BUSINESSES THAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT LANDING HERE, WHERE YOU’VE GOT A NEXT GENERATION OF AIRCRAFT THAT CAN BE BEING MADE HERE. CARGO NUMBERS ARE DOWN COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, BUT BAKER SAYS THAT COULD BE DUE TO FEWER ONLINE ORDERS AND DELIVERIES, MORE CONSISTENT WITH PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS. HE SAYS LEADING THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY IS ANOTHER WAY THEY HOPE TO GROW. WE’RE ALL ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HERE WITH A LOT OF THESE THESE MAJOR PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE OR ARE PURSUING. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS MORE FOLKS THAT WILL COME HERE, MORE JOBS AND MORE FOLKS TO COME IN AND FILL THOSE JOBS AND THEREFORE TRAVEL ON AIRPLANES. SO, YOU KNOW, AS WE WIN SOME OF THESE BIG PROJECTS, WE SHOULD SEE OUR NUMBERS GOING UP IN THE PASSENGER SIDE AS WELL. BAKER ALSO CONFIRMED THAT SOME RENOVATIONS TO THE CONCOURSE AREAS FOR A MORE MODERN AND UPDATED FEEL ARE GOING TO BE COMING SOON. IN GREENSB

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A couple of changes are coming to Piedmont Triad International Airport, including talks of renovations and a new airline in the Triad. New data for the first half of 2025 shows that passenger travel is slightly up and cargo flights are slightly down compared to this time last year. PTI saw a dip in passenger travel during the pandemic, but those numbers have returned.Breeze Airways, the fifth airline joining PTI, will operate two new routes to Orlando and Hartford starting Friday. “As the population in the area grows, they’re going to have more people flying, that’s just a fact,” said airport authority executive director Kevin Baker. “And certainly this area is growing.”Cargo numbers are down, but Baker said that could be due to fewer online orders and deliveries more consistent with pre-pandemic levels. He said these data reports help guide decision-making for future development. “We’re all about economic development here with a lot of these major projects that have or are pursuing, and what that means is more folks that will come here, more jobs and more folks to come in and fill those jobs and therefore travel on airplanes,” Baker said. “So you know, as we win some of these big projects, we should see our numbers going up on the passenger side as well.”Leading the way in the aerospace industry has also become a top priority for PTI. Baker said the airport and companies at the airport employ 9,000 people and help boost the Triad’s economy.”We’re unique really in the country, probably in terms of airports that have the kind of aerospace companies that are locating here and bringing large amounts of people in that industry. And we’ve become just a center of excellence for the aerospace industry,” Baker said. Baker also confirmed renovations are coming to the concourse areas for a more updated, modern feel and are coming soon.”It’s important to have the airport be a calling card and the welcome mat to those who are arriving here, especially for the first time, and especially with some of these businesses that we’re talking about landing here, where you’ve got a next generation of aircraft that could be being made here,” Baker said.In 2024, PTI had more than 300 international flights on corporate and private jets and charters, Baker said. Customs and Border Patrol are available for those, but they are not ready yet for larger-scale commercial international flights.