Larry W. Blackwell Jr., director of airports for the Shreveport Airport Authority.

Local airport experiences an increase in travelers

The local statistics for summer air travel are in, and the numbers are soaring for the Shreveport Airport Authority (SAA).

The traditional summer travel season is May through August, and this year, over 300,000 people took off, landed, connected or passed through the portals of Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV). In fact, the summer travelers gave the facility its busiest summer in 44 years.

The 2025 total of 307,597 people marked a 19 percent increase from the 2024 numbers. Those passengers helped make this season the fourth busiest in the airport’s 73-year history, which was good news for officials like Larry W. Blackwell Jr., director of airports for SAA, and the carriers who make SHV a destination. Blackwell credits the 10,000 feet of gate space as a major draw in attracting both passengers and airlines, as well as the destinations available to flyers.

The new Shreveport-to-Nashville non-stop flight took off with more than 5,400 passengers visiting Music City in the three summer months it was available.

The Nashville flight, which connects to Destin and Orlando, is a popular ticket for the summer travel crowd, and those flights are scheduled to return next summer, according to SAA. Tickets for Allegiant’s seasonal routes to Nashville, Destin and Orlando will be on sale by the end of the year, they said.

Currently, the region is served by American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Allegiant Air.

Blckwell explained, “The airport keeps an open dialogue with carriers to explore additional flights and routes.” He said, generally, the most popular trips in this area are to Las Vegas and Denver. Some of those flights had nearly 90% bookings, and those are first-class numbers for the airlines that need that kind of activity to keep the Shreveport stop an attractive part of their route structure year-round.

One way to maintain that attraction is by making the airport more appealing to people arriving and departing from Regional.

According to Blackwell, some ongoing improvements to the passenger experience have been happening simultaneously. More parking has been added recently, and additional space is in the planning stage. “We have 200 spaces that should be open by the end of the month,” Blackwell said. “We’re in design for 400 additional spaces to the south of the terminal. Hopefully, we’ll have those completed by next summer.”

There has also been an ongoing effort to enhance the airport’s attractiveness for weary travelers, with new seating, concessions, food and drink options. Blackwell noted that the airport has made available tables called power bars, which allow patrons to charge their phones, tablets and other electronics, a necessity in the age of constant connection. He also said a new coffee and donut concession is coming soon to the area before you must go through TSA security, which will make it convenient for friends and family who often act as transportation for passengers.

An ongoing effort has been made to enhance the airport’s amenities and attractiveness for visitors.

Blackwell said there are now six jet bridges available for carriers, which makes arrivals and departures safer and more convenient. That makes the facility more attractive to carriers, too, who rely on such amenities to attract the flying public.

“We’re thankful for people in our region using our airport,” he said.

August marked the 32nd consecutive month of increased passenger activity at SHV. Since January, 541,739 passengers have used Shreveport Regional Airport, representing an increase of 78,810 passengers this year, a 17% rise over 2024.

SAA oversees not only Regional, but also Shreveport’s Downtown Airport. Both facilities are home to what’s known as General Aviation (GA), serving private and corporate aircraft owners and pilots who use stick and rudder as their primary mode of transportation.

Blackwell said, “General Aviation is important to both Regional and Downtown. Downtown has a large GA population. There are two flight schools there.”

Corporate and private aircraft operators can also rent hangars and utilize the other goods and services available there. Regional hosts Signature Aviation, which caters to the non-public flight consumer.

Another amenity that recently returned to Regional is Artport, a permanent rotating exhibit of the artwork of over 80 local and regional artists in a variety of media.

Titled “In Southern Dimension,” this will be the 16th installment of Artport, which began in 1990 as part of an initiative by the Airport Beautification Committee. According to Artport Director Abigail Simmons, the effort has been a great privilege for her personally, and it gives travelers and locals the opportunity to see some great artwork as they tour the exhibits.

For more information about the local airports, search: flyshreveport.com.

For more information and details on this year’s artists, visit artportshreveport.org, Facebook.com/ArtportShreveport, or Instagram.com/artport_shreveport.