Officials at St. Louis Downtown Airport (KCPS), the busiest general aviation airport in Illinois outside of Chicago, report that flight operations at the airport increased to 104,156 during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023.
The data follows a positive trend in recent years of flight operations continuing to rebound from significant impacts felt during the coronavirus pandemic, officials noted. In fact, the operations are surpassing levels seen before the global pandemic began in 2020, they said.
Flight operations reported in FY2023 represent a 2.4% increase over numbers reported in FY2022, and a 7% increase over pre-pandemic totals reported in FY2019.
This marks the second consecutive year of growth at St. Louis Downtown Airport, officials added.
“The biggest increases in flight operations were seen toward the end of our fiscal year, so we are optimistic that this upward trend will continue into the next year,” said Mary Lamie, Executive Vice President of Multi Modal Enterprises for Bi-State Development, which owns and operates the airport.
Fuel sales in FY2023 surpassed those in FY2022, but still haven’t reached the levels seen during the last pre-pandemic fiscal year, officials said, noting 1.6 million gallons of fuel were sold during FY2023, an increase of 9.8% over FY2022.
Recent airport investments will support future growth, officials added.
In August 2023, a $5.4 million Ground Engine Run-Up and Compass Calibration Pad project was completed. It will serve aircraft maintenance and manufacturing providers operating at the airport and support high-tech aerospace maintenance and trade skill jobs. The new areas were made possible through a $5 million Rebuild Illinois grant.
The Ground Engine Run-Up portion of the project includes new airfield pavement with jet blast deflectors used to perform aircraft maintenance tests. Up to 500 high-power engine run-up tests are expected to be conducted annually by the aircraft maintenance tenants such as Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. and West Star Aviation that will utilize this new area. The area will reduce aircraft engine run-up noise by more than 50%, airport officials said.
The new Compass Calibration Pad enables the magnetic compasses in each aircraft to be regularly calibrated free from any magnetic influencers.
According to the most recent study conducted by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), St. Louis Downtown Airport helps generate more than $422 million in economic impact for the region, including factors such as on-airport activity and visitor spending. The airport supports significant activity from recreational, charter and business flying, as well as flight instruction from Saint Louis University’s Oliver L. Parks Department of Aviation Science, the nation’s oldest flight school still in operation, along with Ideal Aviation and St. Louis Flight Training. Additional activities supported by the airport include government operations, military training, real estate tours, medical transport, aerospace technology research, and glider flying.
For more information: StLouisDowntownAirport.com.
Fuel sales would be higher if we had two suppliers at KCPS again, aka reasonable prices.
KCPS is the best airport to fly into if you’re going to St. Louis! Easy Uber rides to Downtown especially if you’re coming in for a Convention or to catch the Cardinals, Blues, CitySC, or SLU Billikens. Highly recommend!!