WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Travel through Columbia airport up 800% from last year
ABC 17 News
Columbia Regional Airport sign
The Columbia Regional Airport (COU) recorded the most travelers in the month of April since March of 2020.
According to the airport s passenger load data, the number of travelers at COU was up 801.1% in April compared to the same month in 2020.
COU recorded a total of 9,416 passengers flying in and out of the airport last month, with nearly equal numbers of enplanements and deplanements. This is up from 1,045 passengers in April 2020, shortly after the pandemic hit the United States.
Though the percent of travelers saw a massive increase, air travel out of Columbia was still lower than pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, the monthly average of passengers was 22,133.
WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Boone County reports over 70,000 residents have completed their coronavirus vaccination
KMIZ
A syringe is filled with coronavirus vaccine during a clinic at the Columbia Mall on Monday, April 19, 2021.
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services is reporting seven new COVID-19 cases.
There are currently 67 active cases in the county.
The health department is reporting one Boone County resident is in the hospital due to the coronavirus.
The Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard reports that 81,705 residents have received their first dose in Boone County and 70,020 Boone County residents have completed their vaccine doses.
Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services May 12 dashboard
American Airlines brings more flights to Columbia Regional Airport
ABC 17 News
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
American Airlines currently has four daily flights out of Columbia Regional Airport and will add an additional flight in June for a total of five daily flights.
Officials from the airport report that of the five daily flights offered by American Airlines, three are to Dallas/Fort Worth and two to Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
Airport officials say United Airlines continues to offer daily service to Chicago.
The City of Columbia is also looking forward to the return of the daily Denver service which was temporarily suspended last year.
Columbia Regional Airport adds direct flights as air travel recovers from pandemic
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
American Airlines resumed direct flights between Chicago and Columbia and added a third flight between Columbia and Dallas/Fort Worth on Thursday.
American had already offered two flights between Columbia and Dallas/Fort Worth and United Airlines had also offered direct flights between Columbia and Chicago.
Airport manager Mike Parks said American will now have three daily direct flights to Dallas and one daily to Chicago.
Air carriers had reduced their flights at Columbia Regional Airport during the pandemic as fewer people traveled. However, air travel has increased nationwide since that time. A year ago about 140,000 people went through TSA checkpoints, compared to more than 1.2 million on Wednesday.
WEATHER ALERT DAY: Mid-Missouri under severe thunderstorm watch; flood advisory in Boone, Cole, Moniteau
The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather team has issued a Weather Alert Day for the threat of severe storms later today. Showers and thunderstorms are rolling through this morning but will reignite again this afternoon.
LATE AFTERNOON UPDATE: Central Boone and parts of northern Cole and Moniteau counties are under a flood advisory until 7:30 p.m.
MIDDAY UPDATE: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has now been issued for all of the viewing area until 7:00 PM.
70 mph wind gusts
Afternoon Round
This is where things get interesting. The intensity of the storms in the early afternoon hours will hinge largely on how unstable we become. Our morning round will attempt to stabilize things and put a lid on the atmosphere. Our confidence has increased that we are going to recover enough to support strong to severe storms later today.