In a surprise turnaround, traffic coming to the Martha’s Vineyard Airport was up 16.2 per cent in October compared to October of 2019 — a stark contrast to past months which had seen precipitous plummets in airport business.

Airport director Geoff Freeman called the increase from last year’s October numbers “quite impressive.”

“It’s substantially higher than 2018 and 2017 also,” Mr. Freeman told the airport commission.

Mr. Freeman credited warmer than normal October weather and “people that are living here and are commuting to their workplace on an irregular basis,” as the main reasons for the fall uptick.

Passenger traffic on JetBlue and Cape Air, the only airlines to service the Vineyard in October, was down 59 per cent, Mr. Freeman reported. But airport traffic includes passenger numbers from commercial airliners, as well as private aircraft that fall under the airport’s general aviation category.

JetBlue finished service to the Vineyard after Columbus Day weekend. Cape Air, the only airline to service the Island year-round, “seems to have bounced back a little bit,” Mr. Freeman said.

In October, Mr. Freeman said Cape Air carried 695 passengers to and from the Vineyard, the second-highest in a month this year with only September seeing more. Mr. Freeman said Cape Air’s service to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and their inter-Island service to Nantucket are the driving forces behind the positive passenger numbers.

In other business, airport finance subcommittee member Norm Werthwein said the airport’s first quarter revenues were consistent with prior years. “Which is better than we expected quite frankly,” Mr. Werthwein said.

Mr. Werthwein said that although they do not have final numbers for October yet, the month has been consistent with the current trend the airport is on. He also added that the airport’s cash balances are in good shape.

And from a cash perspective, the airport is “the strongest we’ve been in quite a while,” Mr. Werthwein said.