MOLINE, Ill. — Editor's note: This story had a typo for the year of the record-high traffic numbers. It has been corrected, and we apologize for the error.
The Quad City International Airport experienced a record-high number of takeoffs and landings during the month of May.
More than 4,200 tower movements were recorded - breaking the airport's most recent high in May 2019 of 3,655. Tower movements are generally defined as any time a plane lands or takes off.
"The number of tower movements, regardless of the size of the aircraft, impacts many areas of an airport — the most essential being federal funding," according to a press release from the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Rock Island County.
The more busy an airport is means better opportunities to receive grant funding from the Federal Aviation Administration. These funds help buy equipment, support maintenance in the airport, complete improvement projects and more, according to the release.
The airport credited the general aviation community in the Quad Cities region for the milestone.
Since QC Airport is a Class C airport - which is determined by factors like traffic volume and public interest - it is "ideal for flight schools and student pilots because it provides the opportunity to learn to listen to the tower as well as communicate with it, without the heavy congestion of busier airports," airport spokesperson Ashleigh Davis said.
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