The best year they had in at least 10 years.
That’s what officials at one local airport are saying about last year even with a financial report saying they lost over $400 thousand dollars in 2023
A financial report states the Altoona-Blair County Airport had an operating loss of over $400,000 in 2023, but the airport manager said that number is out of context, and they had money in hand by the end of the year.
The Altoona-Blair County airport manager Tracy Plessinger said even though it is a smaller airport they manage about $42 million in assets, and those assets losing value is what makes it appear as if the airport lost money.
The report states that the operating expenses were over $5.1 million with operating revenues of nearly $4.7 million. That leads to an operating loss of over $420,000.
But over $600,000 in value lost from real estate, equipment, and buildings according to Plessinger. He said that is not money spent by the airport even though it is counted as an operating expense.
When that is taken off the expenses that leaves about $200,000 in the positives according to Plessinger. He said in his ten years at the airport that is the best they have had.
The Johnstown Cambria County airport manager Cory Cree said for their operating costs and revenue they about broke even but were listed slightly in the negatives.
They both add that improving their services to the community is also important in evaluating the success of a regional airport and they said that with services like flight schools and rental cars now associated with the airports they continue to improve in that way as well as financially.
They each also said foot traffic has continued going up. Cree said April was a record month for the Johnstown Airport with about 1,500 outbound passengers. He said that is the most they have had in a month since they started tracking monthly in 2005.
