New Orleans Airport Reopens To Commercial Traffic

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport this morning is expecting the first scheduled passenger flight into the city, more than two weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. Northwest Airlines, followed by Delta Air Lines, will operate the first flights from their hubs in Memphis and Atlanta, respectively. Federal Express also is scheduled to resume cargo service later today.

"Continental and Southwest are currently evaluating service startups and we expect them to resume operations later this week," said airport officials. "Please ensure that you have researched your ability to get around outside the airport environment prior to coming to the area. Only a few local hotels are open with limited availability and rental car services have not yet resumed."

The airport has been handling only military and humanitarian relief flights since Aug. 30. All told, military aircraft and planes contributed by various commercial carriers airlifted 30,000 evacuees from the airport during the past two weeks. Concourses C and D will continue be used for relief efforts while commercial flights use concourses A and B.

"Scheduled passenger and cargo service enhances the airport's ability to support the city and region in its recovery," said Roy Williams, the airport's director of aviation.

Southwest is the airport's largest operator, with pre-Katrina daily revenue around $710,000, according to Helane Becker, analyst with The Benchmark Co. Delta's daily New Orleans revenue of $441,000 ranked second.