COLUMBIA, S.C. – Passenger traffic at CAE in 2019 was up… way up! 1,353,788 passengers traveled through the airport – a 13.03% increase over 2018.

“2018 was the best year we had in a decade and 2019 just beat that record,” said Mike Gula, Executive Director of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. “With passenger traffic up 13.03%, we’re thankful to the Midlands community for utilizing CAE. The more passengers that consider and choose CAE, the more opportunities we, along with our partner airlines, will be able to provide.”

With increased passenger traffic, new flights, new amenities for passengers, continued green energy savings and an updated parking system launching soon, CAE certainly ended 2019 on a high note.

Some of the highlights from 2019 include:

• CAE saw a 13.03% increase in passenger traffic in 2019, with 1,353,788 passengers flying through the airport.
• American Airlines and Delta Air Lines added nonstop service to New York/LaGuardia – bringing the total number of options to travel to New York City through CAE to three. Additionally, American Airlines added a nonstop route to Miami, Florida – opening the Caribbean to Midlands area residents.
• A Mamava nursing pod was installed in August – National Breast Feeding Month – providing traveling mothers with a safe, clean, secure location to nurse their children that isn’t the restroom.
• With upgraded lighting fixtures and HVAC system, CAE’s green energy initiatives generated over $430,000 worth of energy revenue and savings, and
• Within the first few months of 2020, passengers will be able to park with ease in the garage with the help of a new parking guidance system. The system utilizes red and green lights over each parking spot signifying if a spot is available or not.

“We’re very pleased with the success we saw in 2019 and look forward to another strong year in 2020,” said Gula. “We encourage everyone to continue flying with us, and stay tuned for more news and information coming out of CAE in the near future.”

About the Columbia Metropolitan Airport:

Now providing nonstop service to eight major cities and nine airports including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York City (LGA), Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. (Dulles and Reagan National). Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) continues to be a major economic driver for the Midlands region. Welcoming over 1.3 million passengers in 2019, CAE is served by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines and is a regional cargo hub for UPS and FedEx. For more information, please visit www.flycae.com.