Examination of Temporal, Classification, and Population Impacts of Flight Operations at Airports in the United States during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Airports provide essential infrastructure to connect travelers and products to destinations across regions, nations, and the world. However, these connections were the focus of restrictions in the midst of a global pandemic because the same potential to provide access to people and products as a hub of long-distance travel can also serve as an opportunity to spread a virus. The objective of this paper is to explore the temporal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on flight operations at airports in the US, in addition to an examination of the differences among various classifications of airports. For commercial service and general aviation airports, the airports with the quickest and most substantial recoveries were in areas with populations of under 100,000 people [within 48.2 km (30 mi) of the airport]. Airports with higher and lower populations within 48.2 km experienced sharper declines in flights and slower recoveries. Local, state, and national airport infrastructure investments will need to consider these effects and changes in demand spurred by COVID-19 while monitoring the long-term sustainability of the changes.