NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport officials have had to make some significant cuts in recent weeks due to severe economic impacts spurred by the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Mike Giardino, the airport's executive director, seven full-time and 29 part-time employees have been laid off, some of whom are in upper management positions. The employees worked across different operations at the airport. Many were parking lot attendants, shuttle bus drivers, custodians and restaurant employees.
In the last two months, the number of employees has been reduced from nearly 90 employees to 52.
Pay and benefits to remaining employees have also been cut by 35 percent, which is a $1.7 million reduction from the 2020-2021 budget.
Passenger numbers are also dwindling with only a few dozen people flying out of the Delta Air Lines and American Airlines carriers at the airport. Last year, there were hundreds.
However, federal aid is on its way to help local airports recover. The CARES Act appropriated $10 billion in economic relief funds for airports affected by the pandemic. Approximately $24 million will be distributed to Hampton Roads airports, with $4.14 million for Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport.
Even with the federal help, Giardino says he thinks it will take a long time for the airline industry to recover from the outbreak.
The COVID-19 crisis has prompted many setbacks for the airline industry. Airport screenings are down by more than half from 2019 with fewer than 35 million passengers being screened at U.S. airports compared to 70 million in March 2019.
Additionally, Delta, JetBlue and Spirit Airlines have all submitted requests to suspend flights at a number of airports across the country.
