Springfield airport throws party for its 1 millionth passenger this year, a milestone
Alissa Zhu
Stanley Foster, a West Plains resident, took the very first flight out of Springfield's new airport terminal when it opened in 2009.
On Thursday morning, by some stroke of luck, he was on a flight that presumably contained the Springfield-Branson National Airport's 1 millionth passenger this year.
It's the first time the airport — which opened at the end of World War II in July of 1945 — had reached the milestone of 1 million passengers in a year. The historic occasion was celebrated with balloons, commemorative lapel pins, food and speeches by community leaders — and water cannons.
Foster and the other passengers on the fortuitous American Airlines flight from Dallas seemed delighted, and somewhat bemused, to be the center of attention on Thursday.
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As their plane taxied to gate six, it passed underneath twin jets of water blasted from water cannons. The first passengers to exit through the gate, decorated with a balloon arch, were met with cheers and applause from a small crowd that gathered to watch.
Foster — who, in his denim overalls and baseball cap, looked every part the BNSF Railway supervisor that he is — marveled at the chances that he would take two flights, nine years apart, that were so significant to Springfield's aviation history. They were "slim to none," he said.
Foster beamed as he posed for photos with his pink-winged "Thanks a million" commemorative pin. The wings were a nod to the airport's mascot, Pinkley the flamingo.
Foster flies out of the Springfield airport often for his job, he said. He likes that "it's simple and easy to get in and out, and it's the last stop before home."
Last year, the Springfield airport came close to the 1 million passengers mark. It fell short by about 7,000 passengers.
Director of Aviation Brian Weiler believes that if not for flight cancellations caused by turbulent hurricane season, the airport would have celebrated this milestone in 2017.
Weiler said it's "really exciting" that the Springfield airport's growth has reached this point.
The airport is a barometer for the overall condition of the region's economy, he said. When the economy's doing well, people fly more.
In 2005, the airport had about 888,000 passengers and it looked like Springfield was on track to hit the 1 million mark soon. However, numbers fell in the late 2000's and early 2010's, "bottoming out" in 2011, because of the Great Recession, Weiler said.
There's been steady growth since 2013, Weiler said. From then to now, passenger numbers have grown 40 percent. For each of the past four years, the airport has seen record-breaking numbers of passengers.
The total passenger count in 2018 is estimated to be 1,063,000.
Passenger count isn't the only thing that is growing, according to Weiler. He said Ozarks Technical Community College's flight school has doubled in size. The military is investing $30 million on an expansion nearby. The airport plans to add 500 to 750 more parking spaces next year.
"Every part of the airport is growing and it's just fun to be part of that," Weiler said.
Airport officials are not sure who, exactly, is the millionth passenger to travel through the Springfield airport this year. With help from a statistical forecast done by Missouri State University's math department, they estimated that the 1 million-mark would be hit on Thursday.
They chose to celebrate a typically busy mid-morning flight from Dallas, figuring that someone on the plane would probably be number 1 million.
At the baggage claim, Mayor Ken McClure welcomed the arrivals. Tables laden with food and snacks sat nearby.
"We are so glad you are a part of this very memorable historic occasion," McClure said.
Emily Kembell, a Springfield resident who was also on the flight from Dallas, said flight attendants let passengers know ahead of time that there would be festivities.
"It was really exciting," she said. "It's nice, during this environment, to have something positive to celebrate."
A task force recently recommended that governance of the airport be moved from the city to a regional airport authority, which, if created, would be the first in the state.
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