The Eastern Iowa Airport has broken a passenger record for the month of July, airport officials said Monday, Aug. 26.
A total of 135,415 passengers traveled through the Eastern Iowa Airport in July. That’s 4.5% higher than the previous July record, set in 2019, and 9% higher than passenger numbers from July 2023.
With seven months of passenger traffic recorded in 2024, the Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) has seen 11% more passengers for the first half of this year compared to 2023.
Eastern Iowa Airport director Marty Lenss said based on the number of departure seats for the fall, the airport is likely to have another record- breaking year for total passengers in 2024.
“We are seeing double-digit increases in capacity for August, September and October,” Mr. Lenss said in a release. “The airlines are investing in the CID market, and they do that when they see the market respond.”
For upcoming months, passenger capacity at the Eastern Iowa Airport – the total number of passenger seats available – is up 13% in August, 19% in September and 17% in October, compared to the same months in 2023.
Part of that increased capacity is due to Delta Air Lines adding a third daily flight to their hub in Minneapolis in September, providing a midday flight option and more connections to key destinations, Mr. Lenss said.
Delta has also added three special flights for Iowa Hawkeye football games, including a nonstop from Cedar Rapids to Detroit for the Michigan State game Oct. 19, a nonstop from Cedar Rapids to Los Angeles for the UCLA game Nov. 8 and a nonstop from Seattle to Cedar Rapids for the Washington game in Iowa City Oct. 12.
In addition, American Airlines has added a flight from Cedar Rapids to Columbus for the Ohio State game Oct. 5, and United Airlines has added a flight from Madison to Cedar Rapids for the Wisconsin game Nov. 2.
