The Wilmington International Airport lost several commercial flights because of Hurricane Florence.
Airlines canceled 153 flights at the Wilmington International Airport (ILM) through the storm, which made landfall on the Carolina coast Sept. 14, said Julie Wilsey, ILM's airport director.
The last commercial flight prior to the hurricane's impact was on the evening of Sept. 12. The first flight to resume at the airport post-storm was the morning of Sept. 18.
“We went five full days without any [commercial] flights and the day leading up to Sept. 12 and [following], Sept. 18 and 19, were partial flights,” Wilsey said.
When asked about damage estimates and revenue impact, Wilsey said, "It’s too early to have an accurate impact on ILM’s storm damage and lost business." Those numbers would likely be released in November, she said.
In its investor update released Oct. 2, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines reported that Hurricane Florence negatively impacted pre-tax income by an estimated $30 million. Delta is one of three commercial carriers at ILM, which also is serviced by United Airlines and American Airlines.
Wilmington's airport sustained damages to several buildings during the storm, Wilsey said, adding that wet areas of the facility and other buildings have been cleaned up and restoration will follow later.
"Overall, ILM returned to operations as quickly as possible," Wilsey said in an email. "Full restoration of all facilities will take time as we wait for insurance adjusters, FEMA and contractors to provide work estimates."
Parking lots at the airport were open and free from 8 p.m. Sept. 12 until noon Sept. 21.
"When the booths opened on Friday, Sept. 21 we implemented a reduced flat rate payment for remaining travelers impacted by Hurricane Florence," Wilsey said.
Everything at the airport is operating to FAA and TSA regulations at this time, she said.
Although ILM lost commercial flights, at least one runway was open through most of the storm, and aircraft operations -- a take-off or landing of any aircraft -- exceeded the daily average at the airport for seven days after the storm.
These aircraft included helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft of military responders and corporate traffic.
"We were an important point of entry when the roads flooded," Wilsey said.
ILM averages 159 operations daily, Wilsey said. Post-storm, ILM exceeded that average seven days in a row, from Sept. 17-23.
Operations at the airport dropped to zero between Sept. 13-15. Aircraft activity picked up again after the storm, and the highest numbers were reported Sept. 17 and 18, with 554 and 560 operations, respectively.
The activity included private airplanes that delivered supplies and people to the area during the storm. And the military and U.S. Coast Guard were also based out of Air Wilmington for emergency flights, Wilsey said.
Among the activity, Operation Airdrop, a Texas-based a nonprofit organization founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, conducted operations at ILM as well as other smaller airports in Southeastern North Carolina to get much-needed supplies to the region, such as medical supplies and baby formula, Wilsey said.
“It’s pretty impressive the amount of activity at the airport, particularly if you think the amount of days that the area had flooding … You can see the airport was used heavily to sustain and support the community,” Wilsey said.
