ST. LOUIS — One regularly scheduled flight has been cut at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, and more are coming, as traffic plummets.
But the facility's director, Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, said Tuesday that, in her opinion, "you can't shut down the aviation system."
"There is a need to move people and product around no matter what," Hamm-Niebruegge said. She said air service can be curtailed based on developments with the coronavirus, which has caused massive economic shockwaves, but "I personally would be very surprised to see the industry shut down."
CNBC reported Monday that U.S. airlines are grappling with halting all commercial domestic air travel, as a host of carriers make dramatic cuts in response to international travel bans and fears associated with the virus.
Traffic at Lambert has been down 30% year-over year, Hamm-Niebruegge said. Two days ago, that jumped to 40%, then 50% off on Monday, she said, adding that the numbers count local passengers only. Figures on passengers on connecting flights aren't yet available. Seventy-five percent of Lambert's traffic is local, Hamm-Niebruegge said.
United Airlines cut the sole Lambert flight, one of eight or nine each day to Chicago, but "we know that there will be (more) scheduled cuts coming," she said, adding that the reliance of Southwest Airlines on domestic routes had likely shielded Lambert somewhat to this point. The Dallas-based carrier is the largest at Lambert.
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