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On the Future of the Air Show

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT — Big crowds turned out on the weekend for the return of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Air Show, but with the ...

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT -- Big crowds turned out on the weekend for the return of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Air Show, but with the big crowds came traffic troubles and parking problems.

Airport leaders tell Newswatch 16 they don't know if the air show will be held again next year, but they are looking into ways they can improve the event if they do choose to hold it again.

The airport's director Carl Beardsley says it is too soon to tell. He says it takes about a year's worth of planning to get the show together.

Either way, he and the airport board are going to look into ways to improve the event if it is held again.

"When you have a large-scale event like something like this, like an air show, you always see, maybe it's traffic, maybe it's parking, you always see ways you want to improve," said Beardsley.

For many who came to the air show on Sunday, getting on the airport grounds was half the battle. Several people said traffic was backed up all the way to the interstate. Trying to get to the show parking was also an issue.

Beardsley says he and the board will look into ways to improve traffic.

"It's more complicated. Things like parking and traffic that we're really going to be studying, you really have to look at exactly how people came in, how people got to the parking area."

Airport officials will also look into smaller fixes, like adding more food vendors and more bathrooms to the event.

All in all, everyone is pleased by the turnout for the show.

"There was so many smiles in the crowd. You'd see families together. They're having a good time. That's what this was all about," Beardsley said.

Final numbers for how many people attended the air show have not been released yet. The goal was 15,000 and airport officials say they believe they exceeded that goal.

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