Aviation View | Volume 2, Issue 2

99 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 VALLEY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT The stage is set L ocated on the southern tip of the Lone Star State, Valley International Airport (HRL) is located in the heart of the “Rio Plex”. The Rio Grande Valley is a bustling area with multiple, large metro areas connected by interstate highways. As a destination, South Padre Island on the Gulf Coast of Texas has become a real tourist hot spot during the pandemic. Airlines continue to scout out the next leisure market – and the Rio Grande Valley is one of these. The number of tourists and passengers at Valley International dropped during the pandemic, with the lowest volume month being April 2020, when only 2,533 passengers were getting onto planes. But since then, it’s all been good news with gradual and sustained growth. “In March and April 2021, we saw 40,000 passengers boarding aircraft at our airports,” says Marvin Esterly, Director of Aviation at Valley International. “We’ve only seen numbers like these before 2008. The airport has gained