MIDLAND, Texas — More and more flights are being grounded because of COVID-19.
It's now affecting business here at the Midland International Air and Space Port.
The airport is doing what it can to remain open, even with fewer planes leaving the runway.
"We have a lot of cancellations just depending on how many people are on a flight," said Justine Ruff, the Director of Airports for the Midland International Airport. "The airlines actually controlled the flights that they bring in and out."
Any airline carrier's website will show tons of cancelled flights, and the flights coming to and fro Midland are no different.
Fewer flights leaving the runway means less money coming into the airport.
"Nationwide typically in the month of March and early April about two and a half million people go through the checkpoints nationwide every day and we're running about 150 thousand so there's been about a ninety-three percent drop in passengers," said Ruff.
To keep planes flying in and out of all airports, the Federal Aviation Administration is offering rent deferral to flight carriers. This means they don't have to pay rent on time, but if the rent due is not paid by the end of the year they will owe interest fees.
According to Ruff the only time the airport has been this quiet was back in 2001 when it had to shut down for 3 days.
"It's pretty similar to 9/11, similar to what we went through," said Ruff. "It's very quiet, we sometimes have more employees here than we have passengers."
Besides flights, the airport had to close its book-store and cafe because they didn't have enough employees or customers to support the businesses right now.
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