Greater Binghamton Airport posts first passenger-traffic increase in eight years

MAINE, N.Y. — The Greater Binghamton Airport (BGM) recently announced that the airport last year generated its first year-to-year increase in passenger traffic since 2010.

Total enplanements increased 14.5 percent to 36,647 in 2018 from 32,019 a year before. Additionally, BGM’s load factors — the percentage of seats filled — have risen from 75 percent to 80 percent in the last year.

Broome County Commissioner of Aviation David Hickling said in a February news release that he believes the increases resulted from more marketing using new techniques through targeted digital and social-media campaigns as well as “a tremendous response from our business community.”

The Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce’s president and CEO, Jennifer Conway, said in the release that area businesses have pledged to make it a “priority” to fly from BGM “whenever practical.” Some local businesses have even offered to provide incentives to airlines to entice them to begin new service to BGM, she added.

Hickling stated that he is optimistic that this is a trend that will continue and ultimately lead to more airlines offering more flights at the airport.

He said that airlines look “favorably upon increases in passenger traffic in making key decisions on where they would like to start new service.”