Tupelo airport boardings continue upward trend
Jun. 15—TUPELO — For the third consecutive month, passenger boardings at Tupelo Regional Airport topped 1,000, a feat that hasn't happened since the COVID-19 pandemic all but stopped air travel.
In May, Contour Airlines reported 1,197 boardings, nearly 900 more than a year ago. Last year's totals were skewed by months of scaled back flying by not only the airlines, but passengers themselves. But with the pandemic having receded, those numbers are picking up again.
For the first five months of the year, Tupelo Regional has had 4,620 boardings, 25% more than the 3,738 boardings for the same time frame a year ago.
Meanwhile, fuel sales — which include aviation fuel for general aviation and jet fuel for Contour's jets — were up 20% through May, to 218,143 gallons. That's nearly 35,000 gallons more than what was sold during the first give months of last year.
With an increase in passenger boardings, there has been a corresponding increase in rental car revenue as well. Through May, rental car companies' gross revenue has totaled $330,604, in increase of more than $128,0000 compared to a year earlier.
Pandemic Relief Funds
Last April, when Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Federal Aviation Administration awarded nearly $35 million to the state's 74 airports. Tupelo Regional was among the recipients, receiving more than $1 million.
At Tuesday's airport board meeting, TRA executive director Joe Wheeler announced that a recent round of funding passed by Congress will mean another $1 million to the airport.
"We'll use the money to help pay our operating expenses," Wheeler said.
Among the equipment the airport needs is a new sweeper, and Wheeler said some of the money will be used to buy another one.
