Pittsburgh International Airport continues run of busiest months in last 2 decades

By Mark Belko / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh International Airport ended the summer with another robust month of traffic.

The Findlay airport had its busiest September since 2004, with 831,300 passengers boarding or getting off planes. That’s up 8.5% over September 2023. It’s also 105.4% of the same month in pre-pandemic 2019.

Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which operates Pittsburgh International, told board members Friday that year-to-date traffic through September hit 7.5 million passengers, or 200,000 more than the same period in 2019.

“We would really like to hit 10 million [passengers] this year so I would encourage everybody to fly so we can do that,” she said.

The year-to-date number also represents a 9.7% jump over the same period in 2023, when 6.8 million travelers used the airport.

With traffic improving, airlines also are delivering more capacity. Total seats, at 1.1 million in September, represented a 12.7% increase over the same month last year. It is also a 205,400-seat gain over pre-pandemic 2019.

The latest results continue a busy run for the airport.

In August, 935,600 passengers used Pittsburgh International, the highest total for the month since 2005.

July traffic hit its highest level since 2005, with more than 962,000 travelers arriving and departing. June was even better with 970,800 people using the terminal — the most of any month in 19 years.

The big crowds have caused some issues, particularly in the early morning when some travelers have had to wait more than three hours to clear the security checkpoint.

Ms. Cassotis also saw progress on the airport’s cargo front.

After overall volume slumped last year, it’s again on the rise. Through September, cargo volume totaled 149.6 million pounds. That’s 9.8 million pounds higher than the same period last year, though still 27 million pounds lower than in 2021 during the pandemic. It is 5.7 million pounds higher than pre-COVID 2019.

Ms. Cassotis attributed much of the growth to the British Airways nonstop between Pittsburgh and London. The airline, which hauls cargo in the belly of its wide body plane, now accounts for 3.1% of all cargo at the airport.

It ranks fourth behind FedEx, with 49.9%; UPS, with 30.4%; and Amazon Air, with 13.8%.

“We’re going to be focusing on making sure that British Airways is able to continue their cargo growth and look to other carriers to participate more robustly in what we see as a real opportunity for cargo at Pittsburgh International Airport,” she said.

Ms. Cassotis also gave an update on the $1.57 billion modernization Friday, with construction on the new landside building for ticketing, security, and baggage claim now 72% completed.

The terminal has been dubbed the “pavilion in the woods” through features designed to enable passengers, visitors, and employees connect more with the natural environment while there.

That includes landscaping, four outdoor terraces, and design aspects like natural light, constellation lighting, and a roof that is shaped to represent the region’s rolling hills.

The roof line, Ms. Cassotis said, will intuitively guide people toward the security checkpoint in the new building.

“This is smart design because it allows us to move people very easily. There’s only one way to go. It’s forward,” she said.

The terraces will be built over the new terminal’s baggage system. They are meant to replicate parts of the Allegheny National Forest.

“We’re really pushing the envelope and thinking about how can we redefine what an airport means to its community and its industry,” Ms. Cassotis said.

The authority has yet to announce the 2025 opening date for the new landside building, which will be tucked between the C and D concourses of the airside building where travelers board and get off planes.

However, it won’t be open until at least after next June 30, based on construction contract change orders the authority has awarded in recent months.