PTI Passenger Growth, Cargo Decline as Shutdown Hinders Data

Piedmont Triad International Airport announced a mixed set of traffic figures this week, with passenger counts rising and cargo volumes falling compared with last year. The airport authority presented the numbers at its November 18, 2025 board meeting and published the statistics the following day, showing passengers up nine percent over 2024 and up five percent year to date, while cargo was down nine percent over 2024 and down eight percent year to date.

The immediate local implication is twofold. For travelers in Guilford County the rise in passenger traffic and a three percent increase in total scheduled departing seats for December 2025 compared with December 2024 suggest greater capacity for the holiday travel season and potentially more competitive fares. For local businesses that rely on air freight, the decline in cargo volumes could mean tighter logistics and slower delivery times for some goods, particularly for companies that depend on time sensitive shipments.

Airport officials cautioned that some standard performance measures were not available because of a federal shutdown, limiting the ability to draw fuller conclusions from the figures. Load factor data were unavailable due to the federal shutdown, a gap that leaves analysts without a key indicator of how efficiently airlines are filling the seats that have been scheduled. Without that information it is harder to assess whether the added seats in December will translate into higher revenue for carriers or simply more choices for passengers.

The mixed results also echo wider economic and operational trends seen at regional airports around the world this year. Passenger growth can reflect recovering leisure travel demand and strengthened connectivity for businesses, while declines in cargo volumes may track shifts in global supply chains, air cargo pricing, or reallocation of belly cargo space on passenger flights. For Guilford County, maintaining a balance between passenger growth and cargo resilience matters to tourism, business travel, and the local manufacturing and distribution sectors.

Airport leaders presented the data to the authority board during the November meeting as they plan for the winter travel period and ongoing operational needs. Residents and businesses seeking further information can contact Stephanie Freeman at the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority. The authority will likely monitor passenger and cargo trends through December to see whether holiday travel reinforces the recent gains or whether cargo volumes recover in the months ahead.