TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Tallahassee is coming off of a record-breaking year for the Tallahassee International Airport.
Airport travel is currently at a 10-year high as more than 800,000 people used the airport in 2019.
The planning phase for airport improvements is taking off. City leaders say people can expect to see more airline servers come here in 2020.
ABC 27 spoke to multiple people who say more flight options is high on their wish list for this year.
"Yeah I think options, flight options and having that direct flight access, would be wonderful for Tallahassee," said Bob Dearden, a traveler.
Tallahassee travelers are hoping to see TLH soar to new heights in 2020. Continuing to see the airport grow is very important to Bob Deerden, who travels to and from the airport quite often.
"It's vital," Deerden asserted. "I think for both tourists visiting the Capital City and business folks in Tallahassee its critical to Tallahassee's success."
This past year, the airport broke traveling records.
According to TLH, more than 864,000 passengers used the airport in 2019. That's the highest amount of passenger traffic TLH has had since 2008.
Staff at the airport say there are roughly 22 flights that take off each and every day. Building on the progress made last year is a priority for city leaders.
"We have placed a primary emphasis on upgrading and renovating our international airport so that we can make it a more pleasant traveling experience," said City Commissioner Curtis Richardson.
2019 brought many improvements along with it. Some major projects completed were improvements to runways and enhancements to waiting areas and ticket areas.
City leaders don't plan on stopping anytime soon. Already in the works is a new international cargo facility and screen facility for international flyers among other things.
"We certainly hope to eventually make it a regional facility and bring in more airline servers because what we hear from the traveling public is that our rates are a little to high," Richardson explained. "We are also looking a developing some of the property that surrounds the airport. That will bring in revenue for the airport."
Some passengers also tell ABC 27 that this is one of the most organized airports they've been to and they hope that with the improvements it stays that way.
