Coronavirus In Colorado: DIA Concerned Air Traffic Rebound Could Be 2-3 Years Away
DENVER (CBS4) - Denver International Airport is offering a bleak outlook for when passenger traffic might return to normal levels, saying "the best experts in our industry are predicting a late 2022 or 2023 return to previous demand."
The prediction was shared Thursday morning with Denver City Council members with an added proviso -- there is more uncertainty ahead.
The airport said traffic is down 90% compared to the same week last year. A total of 43 of 170 concessions have closed and another 63 have reduced hours.
"Most troubling is the lack of a clear timeline for rebound," wrote airport administrators.
"While the best experts in our industry are predicting a late 2022 or 2023 return to previous demand, a potential second wave of COVID-19 has created even more uncertainty."
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The memo goes on to say all three rating agencies have issued a global airport rating action
changing all airports, including DIA, to a negative outlook due to the dramatic loss of passenger
traffic and associated revenues.
The airport said its "financial positions remains strong and we have multiple contingency plans in place to deal with a wide variety of scenarios related to passenger traffic and managing our debt service coverage requirements."