Throwback Thursday: Wilmington’s airport was running out of room more than 40 years ago
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington International Airport handles roughly 5,000 arriving and departing passengers each day today, but more than 40 years ago, the airport was already facing growing pains.
In September 1984, what was then known as New Hanover County Airport was handling about 400 to 500 passengers a day, and airport personnel said the terminal was running out of room.
A WWAY report from the time showed the airport beginning its day before sunrise, with three planes being loaded with passengers during a one-hour period starting at 6 a.m.
Piedmont Airlines personnel told WWAY that particular morning was unusually slow. On a typical morning, they said hundreds of departing passengers could crowd the airline’s ticket counter and holding area between 6 and 7 a.m.
“They need about twice as much space as we got here,” one worker told WWAY.
The terminal dated back to 1952, when just five or six flights arrived each day and the airport handled between 15 and 25 passengers daily.
By 1984, largely the same terminal was handling hundreds of passengers each day.
The growth was happening quickly. WWAY reported the number of passengers boarding flights at New Hanover County Airport was increasing by between 15% and 25% each month.
In March 1983, nearly 7,700 passengers boarded Piedmont jets at the airport. One month later, that number had climbed to more than 9,200.
County leaders said there was little doubt a new terminal was needed, but the planning and construction process required involvement from both state and federal agencies.
Plans called for a new terminal costing more than $17 million to be built on existing airport property.
Airport manager Rudy Shackelford said that even if construction began immediately, the new terminal would still be about four years away from completion.
More than four decades later, growth remains a major focus at what is now Wilmington International Airport.
ILM is in the middle of another major expansion, including a new parking garage, expanded curbfront and other improvements designed to accommodate passenger demand.
This segment is part of a weekly Throwback Thursday series that features stories from WWAY’s historical news archives. That archive can be accessed here.
