More passengers taking flight at Wilmington International Airport

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Commercial air traffic is seeing an increase at Wilmington International Airport (ILM), with more travelers returning to the skies as the pandemic begins to ramp down.

ILM Director Julie Wilsey says the airport has seen a gradual increase in passenger flows since the end of 2020.

Wilsey says March 2021 is looking much better than March 2020, with numbers up 50 to 60 percent.

As more people once again begin utilizing air travel, the airlines are showing confidence in the Wilmington market.

“American has announced summer seasonal to LaGuardia and to Boston and also to Chicago, and Delta Airlines has announced summer season back to LaGuardia nonstop,” Wilsey said. “That starts in May, it goes through September, so we believe that the summer at ILM is going to be very busy.”

Construction at the airport also continues, with new gate areas scheduled to open by Thanksgiving. The entire expansion project at ILM is expected to be finished by Christmas 2022. Once complete, the terminal will have grown by 75 percent.