Cargo volumes at Detroit Metropolitan Airport continued to rebound in 2011, jumping 6.8% on a year earlier, however passengers numbers remained stagnant, and total aircraft operations declined during the year.
 

According to the Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA), the gateway handled 32.40 million passengers last year, up 0.1% from the 32.37 million in 2010.

Meanwhile, 227,584 tons of cargo was processed by the airport in 2011 compared with 213,162 tons in 2010 – an increase of 6.8%.
 

Tom Naughton, the interim CEO at WCAA, said: “The growth in traffic at Detroit Metro Airport last year, however slight, is a positive sign in the current climate where airlines are exercising extreme capacity discipline and fuel prices continue to rise.
 

“The Airport Authority will certainly continue to identify opportunities for passenger growth, but the continued rise in cargo traffic at the airport year-over-year is indicative of where the real potential for future development lies.”
 

Elsewhere, total aircraft operations at the gateway declined to 443,028 in 2011 from 452,616 in 2010. 
 

Delta Air Lines, which operates its second-largest hub and primary transpacific gateway at Detroit Metro Airport, continued to be the airport’s busiest air carrier in 2011 handling approximately 80% of passenger traffic.