Oakland International Airport enjoyed healthy year of growth in 2014, recording 12 consecutive months of increased passenger traffic
2014 Data Also Show Gains in Air Freight
Oakland, CA, 2015-2-10 — /Travel PR News/ — With more flights, new destinations and expanded cargo facilities, Oakland International Airport (OAK) enjoyed a healthy year of growth in 2014, recording 12 consecutive months of increased passenger traffic.
For the year ending December 31, 2014, OAK recorded 10.3 million enplaned passengers, up 6.1 percent from 2013. Airline seat capacity was up 1.8 percent, driven by new and expanded services of several airlines responding to the opportunity presented by a thriving Bay Area economy.
In May, OAK welcomed its first European service and the first ever nonstop service between the Bay Area and the Scandinavian capital cities of Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway with the launch of flights by Norwegian Air Shuttle, providing new connections for business development and tourism. The new service generated an estimated $79 million in visitor spending in the Bay Area in addition to creating more than 50 direct jobs at Oakland International Airport and hundreds of indirect jobs in the region. The route is projected to generate full-year visitor spending in the Bay Area of $128 million in 2015.
In another first, Norwegian’s transatlantic service was the first to be operated at OAK with state-of-the-art ultra-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
The addition of European service by Norwegian, along with the offerings of other OAK carriers, such as Allegiant, an airline specializing in San Francisco tour packages, reinforces Oakland International Airport’s role as a significant contributor to the Bay Area’s tourism economy.
In addition to the new flights to Europe, OAK saw the start or announcement of the following other new services to international and domestic destinations in 2014:
Spirit Airlines continued the expansion of its sole San Francisco Bay Area gateway at OAK with new, daily non-stop flights to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) beginning May 1. It also announced new seasonal daily non-stop service to Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) beginning April 16, 2015, which, together with existing service to Houston Hobby (HOU) by Southwest Airlines, will make OAK the only San Francisco Bay Area airport offering nonstop service to both Houston airports.
Volaris launched twice weekly nonstop service to Morelia, Michoacan (MLM) on November 3, and once weekly service to Leon, Guanajuato (BJX), Mexico on November 5, building on existing nonstop services to Guadalajara and Mexico City. On January 29, 2015 the carrier announced the addition of new nonstop service between OAK and Tijuana, Mexico (TIJ).
Surf Air, the innovative all-you-can-fly membership airline recently ranked by Forbes in “America’s Most Promising Companies for 2015,” inaugurated nonstop service to Hawthorne (HHA), Santa Barbara (SBA) and Truckee-North Lake Tahoe (TRK) from Landmark Aviation’s terminal on OAK’s North Field on December 15.
Hawaiian Airlines began seasonal nonstop flights between Oakland and Lihu’e, Kaua’i (LIH) and Kona, Hawai’i Island (KOA) in July and has scheduled the flights to resume in May 2015.
Southwest Airlines announced an expansion of its operations at OAK with the addition of four new nonstop destinations: Baltimore-Washington DC (BWI) and Dallas / Love (DAL) beginning January 6, 2015, as well as Nashville and New Orleans beginning June 7, 2015.
Air freight at OAK increased 6.3 percent in 2014 over 2013 levels.
Other 2014 OAK Highlights
Becoming the second airport in California with a direct rail link, OAK celebrated the opening of its new Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station located directly in front of the terminal buildings, offering seamless, single ticket connections to all of BART’s 45 stations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and convenient connections to Amtrak’s Capital Corridor line.
Completed Phase l of a $120 million Runway Safety Area project relocating runway thresholds, constructing new taxiways, relocating navigational aids, and upgrading aging airfield infrastructure for the airport’s main South Field. Phase ll of the project covering the North Field is in progress, making similar improvements to the parallel runways used mainly for general aviation, with expected completion at year’s end.
As part of the multi-year Terminal 1 Renovation and Retrofit Program:
The Terminal 1 Central Utility Plant was replaced through a $33 million project that used U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED building guidelines to construct a new building and renovate the existing structure to house Facilities offices, a multi-use Operations Training Center and various operational support areas and shops. The project replaced aging and inefficient heating and cooling equipment with modern demand-based technology controlled by a state-of-the-art energy management system to maximize efficiency.
Construction commenced on a $100 million renovation of the Terminal 1 central building to seismic retrofit, replace and upgrade infrastructure and improve the passenger environment. The project is expected to be completed in Spring 2017.
Tenant investments:
Rolls-Royce Engine Services Oakland completed a $5 million upgrade to an engine testing facility that will allow it to expand its services to additional engine types.
Landmark Aviation and a Fortune 500 corporate client completed a $1.6 million renovation of a North Field hangar to accommodate a new base for the San Francisco-based company. Last month, Landmark announced the authorization of its OAK base as a Part 145 Certified Repair Station, adding full-service aircraft maintenance capabilities to its avionics and mobile on-demand ground handling and support services.
SecurityPoint Media and SpringHill Suites by Marriott partnered with OAK to transform the security checkpoint lobby in Terminal 2 into an innovative ‘Experience Zone’ designed to offer new levels of comfort and service to travelers while still maintaining the highest levels of security – the first of its kind on the West Coast and fourth in the country.
Lower carbon footprint:
Reduced aircraft fuel use and emissions with completion of a $2.9 million project to install new pre-conditioned air units on eight remaining jet bridges, making the airport 100 percent equipped.
Increased recycling from passenger terminals by 12 percent to 732 tons.
Recorded a 12 percent increase in electric car charging station use.
Members of the news media needing information or assistance in reporting news about Oakland International Airport may call the airport’s 24-hour Media Hotline at (510) 563-6500.
About the Port of Oakland The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport and Oakland International Airport. The Port’s jurisdiction includes 20 miles of waterfront from the Bay Bridge through Oakland International Airport. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest container port in the U.S; Oakland International Airport is the second largest San Francisco Bay Area airport, offering more than 300 daily passenger and cargo flights; and the Port’s Real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. Together, through Port operations and those of its tenants and users, the Port supports more than 73,000 jobs in the region and nearly 827,000 jobs across the United States. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.
