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STATEWIDE–Air travel has increased back to pre-pandemic levels all across Indiana.
“There was a double digit increase in passengers in 2023 in Indy. Passengers have been in and out of Fort Wayne International Airport by an increase of 10%. Traffic is also up in Evansville,” said Gerry Dick, President of Inside Indiana Business, in a Monday morning interview with 93 WIBC’s Tony Katz.
Dick says business travel is going through a drastic increase as well, which is a far cry from what business travel was during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He also says the airports are trying to make improvements.
“Fort Wayne is in a nearly $100 million renovation project. They’re doing some things in Evansville. At the Indianapolis International Airport, they are building a five-story parking garage. A lot of people will be plotting to get more parking spaces,” said Dick.
As for the Evansville Regional Airport, they still don’t have direct flights to Chicago or Detroit. That’s a move that happened in 2022. Old National Bank is headquartered in Evansville and they made an acquisition in Chicago.
“There’s concern that Old National that could move its headquarters to Chicago if they can’t get to Chicago. It’s that bad of a situation. You’ve got the business community down there. You’ve got the Governor’s office and a lot of other people trying to get these direct flights back on board in Evansville,” said Dick.
Dick says that situation shows how important flights are to economic and business development. He says a pilot shortage isn’t helping things either.
