Passenger traffic at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport dropped drastically in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, the airport announced Tuesday.
A total of 700,655 passengers traveled through the Austin airport in March, which is down about 52.1% compared to March 2019.
March is usually a busy month at the airport as travelers come and go for the South by Southwest festivals. Last year, March saw 1,463,016 passengers pass through the airport, according to airport data.
SXSW was canceled on March 6 this year and just a few weeks later on March 24, the city’s “stay home, work safe” order went into effect. Both actions were to help combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The city’s “stay home, work safe” order has been extended to May 30 and requires people to wear face masks. Travis County’s social distancing mandate is in place until June 15.
The number of people who got on planes in March also decreased, with just 349,457 passengers recorded, the airport said. In 2019, a total of 724,850 people boarded planes at the airport, according to airport data.
The decrease in passenger traffic in March has led to a drop in overall traffic at the airport so far this year.
January and February this year both saw a jump in passengers from 2019. But with the slow March, this year is at a 13% decrease compared to 2019, according to the airport.
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