Seasonal service has resumed at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport, nudging up traffic numbers that have lagged for more than a year, airport director Geoffrey Freeman said during a brief meeting of the airport commission Thursday.

Summer service for Jet Blue, Delta and the Portland, Me.-based Elite Airways began in May, Mr. Freeman said. American Airlines also began seasonal service on June 3.

For both Jet Blue and Delta — usually the last airline to begin summer service — the reintroduction of seasonal schedules comes earlier than usual this year, Mr. Freeman said.

American Airlines has begun daily service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Charlotte Douglas and Philadelphia International Airport, according to the airport website. Jet Blue is running daily service to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Boston Logan International, and Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Delta is operating flights to LaGuardia and Elite Airways is running daily nonstop service to White Plains, the airport website states.

Cape Air, which operates ryear-round service between the Island and New York city, Nantucket and Boston, has also added its seasonal service to White Plains Westchester County Airport, New Bedford Regional Airport, and Hyannis, according to the website.

Air traffic and passenger numbers increased in May, Mr. Freeman said, after a challenging year due the pandemic.

According to the most recent reports, air traffic control operations for the month of May saw a 129.4 per cent increase from last year, with 2,967 operations this year compared to 1,293 last year.

The airport also saw a significant increase in passengers this spring, with 2,273 this May compared to 102 passengers at the height of the pandemic last May.

Mr. Freeman cited a combination of factors, including warmer weather and an ebbing pandemic, as reasons for the uptick. “[It’s] the accumulation of several things — the weather moving into springtime and people are getting out and starting to travel,” he said.

In other business Thursday, airport commissioners unanimously approved a new policy for aeronautical land uses.

The policy, which mirrors the airport’s non-aeronautical policy for land use, addresses lease renewals for new and existing aeronautical leases, land use subcommittee chairman Geoff Wheeler said. Existing leases will be renewed according to preexisting terms, while new leases will be treated like airport business park leases and will be subject to fair market value review, with increases not greater than 10 per cent, he said.

The policy is also in line with Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, Mr. Wheeler said.

Also Thursday, commissioners agreed to a billing change from the engineering firm Tetra Tech for about $80,000 worth of work at the airport. The firm has advanced the work to FY22 from FY23 due to reporting requirements, finance subcommittee chairman Richard Knabel said.