Chicago Rockford International Airport traffic up in December, down in 2014

ROCKFORD — The number of passengers flying at Chicago Rockford International Airport declined 3.6 percent in 2014, according to annual passenger data released Tuesday.

The discontinuation of service to Denver in late 2013 accounted for the majority of the decline in annual passenger service, airport officials said in a news release. The airport served 210,016 passengers in 2014 compared to 217,850 in 2013.

The past year did include a 7.8 percent increase in Allegiant service. The airport also had 8 percent more passengers in December than it did in December 2013. A total of 18,141 passengers used the Chicago Rockford International Airport in December.

“The passenger experience is paramount to the service we provide. We have made several updates in the terminal this year that are intended to enhance guest travel,” said Mike Dunn, the airport's executive director, in a news release.  “We will continue to proactively identify and seek out destinations with which we can partner and build off of our already strong leisure destinations."

The Rockford airport is served by two airlines: Allegiant and Apple Vacations. It has eight non-stop destinations, including Cancun, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana and Tampa Bay. The airport has served more than 1.9 million passengers since the return of air service in 2003.