North Carolina Airport Sets New Annual Passenger Record
Travel is booming! That is evidenced by new numbers released that show that a North Carolina airport set a new annual passenger record. That airport? Wilmington’s ILM. According to a press release put out by ILM today, the airport served a record 1,317,897 passengers in 2023. This number is more than 21% higher than the previous record! This is great for locals who now have more flight options on American, Avelo, Delta, United, and Sun Country Airlines. It’s also a benefit to the area’s tourism connecting Wilmington and its beaches to the world.
“We have a growing number of airlines and a growing number of nonstops. All the new service, along with our legacy service from American, Delta, and United, is great for our community offering a great mix of service. This increase in seats and record numbers means more choices, more convenience, and lower fares,” stated Jeff Bourk, ILM Airport Director.
Even more impressive is that the data showed that ILM is the fastest-growing North Carolina airport and the 4th fastest-growing airport in the U.S. ILM had 23% seat capacity growth, compared to the NC average of 14% and a national average of 10%. ILM offers direct flights to the following US Cities:
- Atlanta (Delta)
- Baltimore (Avelo-seasonal)
- Boston (American and Delta-seasonal)
- Charlotte (American)
- Chicago (American-seasonal)
- Dallas Fort Worth (American)
- Fort Lauderdale (Avelo)
- Miami (American-seasonal)
- Minneapolis (Sun Country- seasonal)
- New Haven (Avelo)
- New York City (Delta and American)
- Newark (United)
- Orlando (Avelo)
- Philadelphia (American)
- Tampa (Avelo)
- Washington DC (American)
- Wilmington Delaware (Avel0-seasonal)
Read the full press release here.
The Second Most Crowded Airport Nationwide Is In North Carolina
7.52 passengers per 10 square meters of terminal space, that’s what the North Carolina airport that data shows is the second most crowded nationwide, sees daily. Our friends at S Money researched the floor size of passenger terminals for 128 of the world’s busiest airports. They took that data and then compared this with the average daily passenger numbers each airport receives. This led them to the data of the most crowded airports around the world. They also refined this data for just North America which is what was of interest to me. I, as am most US citizens, more often fly domestically than internationally. Though I’ll take an excuse to go international no questions asked!
The most crowded US airports include several of the ones you’d most expect. Places like Atlanta and LAX welcome huge numbers of passengers so it makes sense that they would be included on this list. But would you have guessed a North Carolina airport not only made the list but almost topped it? At first, I was surprised but then I remembered the state of the airport when I returned from Florida a few weeks ago. Yes, the crowds were the result of a complete afternoon of delays. I was still shocked at the number of people and lack of space to even exit the terminal and the airport.
I’d never seen anything quite like it, and hope I don’t for a long time! Think you know which airport I’m talking about? Keep reading to see the top 9 most crowded airports in North America. Data is provided by S Money. You can read their full study and methodology here. Maybe that two hours early rule needs to be extended a little bit. You can never be too early at the airport in my opinion. Happy traveling!
Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.
