HIGHFILL -- Regional airport officials say they're preparing for the potential arrival of the coronavirus, and they expect the airport will take a financial hit as fewer people are expected to fly.
"We know this is going to have an impact on the airport," Aaron Burkes, chief executive officer at the Northwest Arkansas National Airport, told operations committee members Wednesday.
"We're trying to research everything we can to see what other airports are doing, what their best practices are, and to also let you know we've talked about our enplanement forecast and these uncertainties and this is clearly one of those uncertainties," Burkes said.
Kelly Johnson, chief operating officer, said airport officials have been in regular contact with the Arkansas Department of Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the situation and what steps they should take. They've also secured protective materials for staff, including masks, in case it's needed.
"Additionally, we have beefed up the sterilization of touch points in the terminal building with our janitorial staff as well as the parking staff," Johnson said. "Any place that anybody touches, we're trying to make sure we're getting that good, clean and sanitized."
Johnson said there are no facilities in Northwest Arkansas to quarantine a person who might arrive on a flight suffering from the virus, but areas are being developed around Little Rock.
Johnson said she knows several local companies have told employees to limit travel to essential trips. That's important because more than half the traffic through the airport is business-related.
"It's not just the aircraft," she said. "I've heard of people that are not wanting to go to a confined space with 500 or 600 people at a conference or whatever because if there's somebody there that is sick, then they might get quarantined and stuck there for 14 days."
Burkes said the airline industry trade groups are estimating enplanements will fall nationwide this year as a result of the virus. XNA has been projecting a 4.1% increase for the year, and chances are good that won't happen, Burkes said.
"It's hard to predict. We don't know if we'll go into negative territory, but we could see our growth rate tremendously flatten out," he said.
Johnson said about 20% of XNA traffic involves overseas travel.
United Airlines on Wednesday said it is cutting flights in April and May, freezing hiring and offering employees voluntary unpaid leave because of a steep drop in travel demand due to the coronavirus. United didn't say which specific routes are being targeted but said it's cutting international flights by 20%, including previously announced cuts to China and Hong Kong, and by 10% in the United States.
NW News on 03/05/2020
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Coronavirus could have negative impact on Northwest Arkansas airport - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
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