Still, it took almost 20 years and the persistent efforts of airport officials, for Nashville International Airport to regain the lost ground. “The loss of the London flight was a big blow,” said Tommy Lewis, senior vice president of growth initiatives for Emdeon Inc, a Nashville-based provider of healthcare payment management services with 4,000 employees.ĭespite the long odds, Nashville handled 10 million passengers last year, a recovery fuelled by an economic revival that has made the city a prime destination for businesses and leisure travellers. Airport revenue fell 1 percent in the first year, though the impact on the economy - a centre for music and healthcare - was broader.Īmong the flights American discontinued was a nonstop to London, making European travel more difficult for the local business community. When American Airlines stopped routing connecting flights through Nashville International Airport in 1996, passenger numbers plunged to 7.1 million that year from a record 10.3 million four years earlier. “Even at their lower levels of traffic, they were finally able to right-size their costs, and their ability to be competitive seems stronger now than when they were de-hubbed.”įor cities, cuts in air service have made it more difficult to lure conventions and leisure travellers, sent corporate headquarters packing and hurt business in general.Īnd just as airports have found ways to survive, Nashville demonstrated how a city itself can survive. “It took several years for the airports to improve the things that they can control,” Lehman said. Louis and Pittsburgh airports fell when they lost their hubs, since then all three airports have cut costs and taken other steps to restore their ratings, said Seth Lehman, senior director of Fitch Ratings. Yet the Music City showed it is possible to recover and prosper again.įollowing its example, other former hubs are recruiting new carriers, consolidating facilities and finding alternate uses for their land to ensure their stability. REUTERS/Tom GannamĪs Nashville discovered, it can take years of adjustments to come to terms with an airline’s decision to pull back. Several Souhtwest Airlines planes are lined up at Terminal two at the Lambert - St.
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