OAK Has 10th Consecutive Year of Passenger Growth
--Result of New and Expanded Service by Low-Cost and International Carriers--
Oakland, Calif. -- Oakland International Airport (OAK), owned and operated by the Port of Oakland, experienced passenger traffic growth in calendar year 2007, up 1.3 percent over the previous year to 14,613,489 passengers. This increase marks OAK's tenth consecutive year of growth, and is primarily the result of new and expanded service by low-cost and international carriers.
Aircraft landed weights grew by 1.1 percent to 13.1 billion pounds in 2007. The number of commercial aircraft takeoffs and landings also grew to 189,920 operations, an increase of 1.1 percent. Air cargo volume decreased by 3.1 percent over the previous year to 647,912 metric tons.
In 2007, OAK served 7,300,331 departing passengers (enplanements) and 7,313,158 arriving passengers (deplanements). OAK continued to maintain its standing as the Bay Area's second busiest airport, commanding a 24.1 percent market share of the total number of Bay Area passengers served.
"Oakland International Airport had a number of particularly visible accomplishments in 2007 with the completion of Terminal 2 renovations; the opening of many world-class and innovative concessions; and significant improvements to the roadways, curbsides, parking lots and tarmac," said Steven Grossman, director of aviation for the Port of Oakland. "New and existing carriers responded to demand for more choices from Oakland to business and leisure destinations, including Denver, El Salvador, the Hawaiian Islands and Tucson, increasing passenger activity 1.3 percent to 14.6 million passengers served in 2007."
A number of carriers at OAK changed their service schedules in 2007, resulting in increased passenger traffic. Five carriers launched new nonstop service and many added frequency to existing destinations, whether on a seasonal basis or for a longer duration.
Nonstop service inaugurated or expanded at OAK in 2007 follows:
- ATA Airlines began one daily flight to Chicago/Midway in May and increased service to Honolulu in June. Also, the airline inaugurated service to Kona, Hawaii and Lihue, Kauai in June, with three and four weekly flights, respectively;
- Delta Air Lines began twice-daily service to Los Angeles/LAX in January which expanded to four daily flights in July;
- Southwest Airlines began five daily flights to Denver in June and a daily flight to Tucson in November, and added a second flight to Spokane in March and Houston/Hobby in August, respectively; and
- TACA International Airlines started service with three weekly flights to its hub in El Salvador, offering easy connections to a number of Latin America cities, including Lima, Peru.
In 2007, OAK completed its $300 million Terminal Improvement Program which is designed to add even more convenience, security and customer service to the passenger experience. OAK customers are now enjoying easier travel through the airport's newly expanded and renovated terminal, roadways, curbsides and parking lots. OAK is a revenue division of the Port of Oakland, an independent department of the city of Oakland. OAK has served the travel needs of San Francisco Bay Area residents and visitors for over 80 years. Visit oaklandairport.com for more information.
