Press Releases

Passenger volume at the Baton Rouge Metro Airport (BTR) was up 145.9% in July 2021 over the same month last year.

BTR total passenger numbers were 56,538 in July, representing 80% of the July 2019 numbers. Since 2019 was the last pre-pandemic year, it is used as a benchmark for airlines and airports in measuring passenger demand recovery. BTR passenger demand continues to expand at a percentage rate commensurate with the national average for airports.

American Airlines took the top share of passengers, with 45% of BTR’s passenger traffic, followed by Delta at 32% and United at 23%.

“We want to thank the community for supporting BTR and helping us return to passenger growth,” said Mike Edwards, Baton Rouge Metro Airport Director of Aviation. “Flying BTR is the most effective way residents in our area can influence airlines to add more flights.”

The Baton Rouge Metro Airport and the airlines continue to follow strict cleaning and disinfecting protocols in the terminal and on the aircraft. High-touch surfaces at BTR are cleaned frequently with hospital-grade disinfectants, and disinfectant fogging is done in the terminal building at night. American, Delta and United utilize fogging by spraying an electrically-charged and safe to breathe disinfectant on interior aircraft surfaces before the physical cleaning process to ensure germs and viruses are eradicated. HEPA filters on the aircraft capture at least 99.97% of airborne microbes by circulating the cabin air once every 2 to 4 minutes. As the filters purify the air on the inside of the aircraft, fresh air enters the engine compressor on the outside, making the cabin air much cleaner than the air in most restaurants, bars, stores or commercial buildings.

About BTR

The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport is served by the major, network airlines – American, Delta and United – with frequent hub flights that provide access to destinations worldwide. The airport provides an annual economic impact of $1.1 billion and over 4500 direct and indirect jobs in the Baton Rouge area. The Airport is administered as an Enterprise Fund, generating its own revenues for operations as opposed to using local tax funds.

Contact: Jim Caldwell

Air Service Development, Marketing & Public Relations Manager

Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport

Phone 225-931-9098

jcaldwell@brgov.com