Copyright cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Passenger numbers at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport continued to slip in September, down more than 2% over a year ago. Year to date, Cleveland has welcomed 7.6 million passengers through September, down 1.65% from the same period in 2024. Last month, airport officials revised downward their passenger forecast for 2025. The airport is now forecasting that Hopkins will welcome 10.1 million passengers in 2025 – down slightly from a year ago and a decrease of 2.9% from a previously predicted 10.4 million. Officials are hoping to finish the year strong, however, as seat capacity is expected to grow by more than 3% for the last three months of the year compared to 2024, according to the airport. In September, Cleveland welcomed 817,802 passengers, down 2.2% from 836,093 in September 2024. The softening in air travel demand is a nationwide trend. U.S. airlines reported carrying 476 million passengers through the first six months of 2025, down 1.3% from the same period a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Industry observers generally attribute the decline to economic uncertainty among American travelers. In recent weeks, that uncertainty has likely been exacerbated by the federal government shutdown, now in its fifth week, which has contributed to concerns about flight delays and cancellations. Federal air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration workers are among those government employees who are deemed essential and have been working without pay.
