KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As the coronavirus continues to spread across the country and globe, the travel industry has taken a nose dive, in turn affecting companies and business in Kansas City.
According to numbers released Wednesday by the city's Aviation Department, half as many travelers flew in and out of the airport in March compared to the same month last year.
Passenger traffic at Kansas City International Airport is currently down more than 20 percent compared to this time last year.
“The pandemic has hit the airline industry hard worldwide, as stay-at-home orders and health concerns are keeping people from flying,” Aviation Director Pat Klein said in a news release.
Airlines have taken many cost-cutting measures, including retiring older aircraft earlier then planned, furloughing crews and grounding fleets.
There are 103 planes currently parked at KCI, most of which are under the control and maintenance of Aviation Technical Services (ATS).
"We’re used to seeing airplanes parked at gates and to look out and see just that number of airplanes sitting, it epitomizes the pandemic and how it has affected us," said Trey Bryson, the company's senior vice president of operations.
ATS usually conducts heavy maintenance for its airline customers, which includes disassembling aircrafts every couple of years to inspect them for problems.
Bryson said the company's maintenance business is already down and could go lower.
The company already laid off about 200 employees, but the parked planes have helped keep some employees working because the planes have to be serviced every couple of days.
"When airplanes don't fly, that requires less countenance and that's the crux of our business," Byson said. "We are surviving to some degree on parked aircraft. It's not the business anyone would choose to be in but it's something we can do. It certainly keeps people employed."
ATS has applied for federal aid. Bryson said he has been in touch with senators Roy Blunt and Jerry Moran for help.