Trenton-Mercer Airport air traffic soars as COVID restrictions wane, mask requirements end

Trenton-Mercer Airport is on track to have its busiest year ever, with more than 600,000 people flying in and out of the Ewing airfield in just the first three months of 2022, FAA records show.

The number of travelers using Trenton-Mercer between January and March exceeded the total traffic from the prior year, government records show. FAA records currently include just the first three months of 2022 and show travelers returning to most airports nationwide.

Yet none show the growth reported at Trenton-Mercer.

Before the pandemic, the airport owned by Mercer County averaged about 800,000 travelers per year. If it continues to average 200,000 passengers per month, Trenton-Mercer would far exceed any previous records for air travel.

“We expected to see an increased demand for air travel as we emerged from the pandemic, and we think Trenton-Mercer Airport is recovering faster than many airports in the country," said Melinda Montgomery, airport manager. "Planes are full and people are happy to be traveling, vacationing and visiting loved ones again," she added. "We anticipate a busy summer travel season.”

Industry analysts have predicted a bright future for smaller, regional airports.

Some travelers simply want to avoid the commute to Philadelphia, Newark or JFK international airports, said Daniel Bubb, a former commercial airline pilot and expert on commercial aviation and airport history. Other travelers want to avoid the crowds, he said.

"The traveling public is very dissatisfied with the quality of major airports," Bubb said. "They're dirty and crowded. You're stressing out about parking. So, it's a perfect opportunity for airports like Trenton-Mercer to grow."

Despite their size, smaller regional airports struggle with the same issues of cancelled and delayed flights, and staffing shortages that have plagued their larger counterparts.

In 2021, one in four departing flights out of Trenton-Mercer was delayed. That was about the same number as at Newark International Airport, according to data provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

When flights were delayed, the average flyer waited 73 minutes to board at Trenton-Mercer and 70 minutes at Newark, DOT records show.

The government reported little variation in cancelled flights at Trenton-Mercer (2.2%), Newark (2.9%), and Philadelphia (1.4%). At Lehigh Valley International, only 1.3% of flights were canceled last year according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

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More: Trenton-Mercer Airport expansion challenged by Lower Makefield, Yardley and others

Located four miles north of Allentown, the regional Lehigh Valley International Airport is also experiencing a boon of travelers. Between January and March, Lehigh Valley reported 790,000 air travelers ― more than at any time for the prior year.

The United Nation's International Civil Aviation Organization reported a 65% increase in air travel from January to April 2022 with 30% more aircraft departing from airports worldwide.

The International Air Transport Association said in March that it expects overall traveler numbers to exceed 4 billion in 2024, dwarfing any air travel from before the pandemic.

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Trenton-Mercer's growth has not come without critics, however.

Members of the nonprofit Trenton Threatened Skies say the increased air traffic adds to air and noise pollution for residents of Mercer and neighboring Bucks County. One of Trenton-Mercer's two runways sends planes over the Delaware River and Lower Makefield, where some residents complain about the sound.

Earlier this year, the FAA approved plans for a large passenger terminal and the construction of a parking garage at Trenton-Mercer.

On May 19, a petition was filed in the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals challenging that plan. The petition was submitted by officials from Lower Makefield, Yardley, Trenton Threatened Skies, a homeowners association in Mercer County, and 28 residents living near the airport.

Named as defendants in the case are the FAA, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The attorney representing Lower Makefield and Yardley has conceded that its legal action cannot stop construction of the larger airport.

Mercer County expects to begin work on its new airport terminal and parking garage by mid-2023 and hopes to open the new terminal by 2025.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Trenton-Mercer air traffic soars as COVID wanes and mask mandates end