The Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport broke its record for the number of passengers boarding flights for the fourth year in a row.
The airport announced its record enplanements on Tuesday, saying 2017 saw 725,284 passengers depart from XNA. That was a 3.7 percent increase over 2016, and it was the first time the airport eclipsed 700,000.
Northwest Arkansas’ steady economic performance in 2017 should continue this year “so long as the national economy holds up,” a University of Arkansas economist predicts.
Mervin Jebaraj, the director of the University of Arkansas Center for Business and Economic Research, predicted the solid year at Business Forecast 2018, an annual luncheon organized by the center. The event’s keynote speaker was Michael Milken, chairman of the Milken Institute.
Ethnic and racial diversity in Northwest Arkansas will continue its steady increase over the next five years, demonstrating that the region must embrace the long-term transition to continue its stellar economic performance.
The Milken Institute earlier today returned Northwest Arkansas to its Top 25 Best-Performing Cities, releasing a report that showed the strength of the region’s economy compared to all the nation’s metropolitan statistical areas.
© 2023 Northwest Arkansas Council.
