ALBUQUERQUE – Demand for flights in New Mexico’s Albuquerque International Sunport are low compared to normal, but there has been a gradual increase in travelers since April.
“A few months ago, it looked kind of like a ghost town,” Sunport spokesperson Jonathan Small said. “There were very few people in the terminal in general, and nowadays, it’s looking a little more like an airport.”
A flight to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City returned to the Albuquerque airport recently. JetBlue said it is bringing back the route to and from Queens as midday flights on Sundays and Thursdays, KRQE-TV reported. The route was canceled in May when traffic at the New Mexico airport was down 90% from the same time last year, Small said.
In August, passenger numbers were down 77% from the same time in 2019. Now, traffic is down 71% from the same time last year, with about 4,800 travelers every day.
There have been 30,000 confirmed cases and 887 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus in the state since the pandemic began, according to New Mexico’s Department of Health.
