NEW ORLEANS – The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) announced today that a record-breaking 1.28 million passengers traveled through MSY in May 2019. This marks the highest number of passengers ever served in a single month. The May 2019 figures are 7.4 percent higher than May 2018, and they represent over 20,000 more passengers than MSY’s previous record-high month in March of this year.

 

“The phenomenal growth we are seeing at our airport is a sign that New Orleans’ economy is thriving in a very real way,” said New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “The continued boost in passengers shows that our economy is diversifying. As we are experiencing this growth, it is important that we have sustainable infrastructure in place to support our residents and visitors. The new airport terminal is the largest infrastructure project for New Orleans since the Superdome, and we look forward to providing our residents and visitors with a new and improved airport experience when the new terminal opens this fall.”

 

Much of the increase in passengers can be attributed to the new flight frequencies and destinations added since the beginning of the year.

 

February 2019

Alaska Airlines added a second daily departure to Seattle, WA (SEA).

Spirit Airlines began new nonstop service to Austin, TX (AUS) and Denver, Co (DEN).

Allegiant Air began seasonal twice weekly service to Louisville, KY (SDF), which is a new destination from MSY.

 

May 2019

VacationExpress began seasonal twice weekly service to Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ)—another new destination from MSY.

 

Spirit Airlines began seasonal service to Philadelphia, PA (PHL) four times per week and daily service to Raleigh, NC (RDU).

 

Southwest Airlines remains the Airport’s largest airline representing nearly 35 percent of the market share while Spirit is the fastest-growing airline at MSY. Spirit began service from New Orleans in 2013 with one daily flight, and now, with four new flights launched in 2019, and one more to begin in October (Nashville), they will serve a total of 21 nonstop destinations.

 

“We are proud to see the Airport continue to break records year after year,” said New Orleans Aviation Board Chair, Judge Michael Bagneris. “With New Orleans being one of the fastest-growing airports in the country, we are working hard to ensure that we also deliver a quality experience to passengers and foster economic growth moving forward.”

 

“As of May, the Airport has already welcomed 200,000 more passengers than this same time last year,” said Kevin Dolliole, Director of Aviation for Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. “This is a great sign for the New Orleans region, and as the region continues to show such great progress, the Airport will make the case to airlines for even more flights so we can connect our community to the world and bring new visitors to New Orleans.”

 

District A City Councilmember Kristen Gisleson-Palmer, Chairperson of the Transportation and Airport Committee said, “It’s great to see that Armstrong International Airport continues to serve more and more passengers each year. I believe that as long as the airport remains efficient and continues to put the customers first; and the community keeps supporting our airport, we’ll be able to sustain long-term growth and create ongoing opportunities for success.”

 

This record-breaking growth comes after MSY already experienced an all-time record of 13,122,762 total passengers last year in 2018, which was 9.3 percent higher than the previous record in 2017. This marked the fourth consecutive full year of record-breaking passenger totals for the Airport.

 

Looking ahead to the rest of 2019, a new Canadian leisure airline, Air Transat, will begin nonstop service to Montreal, Canada in November. Two other new nonstop destinations from MSY will also come on line with flights to Providence, RI (PVD) via Sun Country Airlines in September and Grand Rapids, MI (GRR) via Allegiant Air in October. Spirit will also add service to Nashville, TN (BNA). MSY now offers a total of 56 nonstop destinations from 16 airlines.