LFT Regional Airport Passenger Count Up Nearly Ten Percent

Lafayette Regional Airport passenger counts for 2018 dramatically exceeded numbers from the previous year. Acadiana’s major hub saw 451,543 passengers travel through the Lafayette airport, a nine percent increase over the 411,818 passengers who chose to fly Lafayette during 2017, according to Executive Director Steven Picou. The addition of 39,725 people departing and arriving in 2018 was like adding an additional month of passengers choosing Lafayette Regional Airport.

Beginning in February 2018, the number of plane seats occupied by passengers each month was greater than the same month from the previous year.

In terms of load factors, the percentage of seats on an airline occupied by passengers, 2018 showed a major increase in 2018 over 2017. During the past year, airlines experienced an average load factor of 80% of available seats as compared to 76% during the previous year. American, Delta and United all had year to year load factor increases. Frontier Airlines began service to Lafayette on October 24, 2018, so their passenger numbers only impacted November and December activity at the Lafayette airport. September 2018 had the lowest load factor percentage for the year, with 74% of seats filled, and was still higher than five individual months of 2017.

Construction on the airport's new terminal began in November and is progressing, with no impact on parking or other airport operations as the new terminal is being built in an empty area away from the existing terminal. Once completed, the New LFT Terminal will double the size of the current terminal building.