A year into the pandemic, RIC’s passenger traffic numbers are taking off Courtesy of Todd Wright/RIC) Having passed the 12-month mark since the start of the pandemic, year-to-year traffic counts at Richmond International Airport are starting to look less lopsided, with the numbers showing signs of rebuilding. RIC reports that passenger traffic in March totaled just over 170,370, a decrease of 6.2 percent from March 2020, when travel restrictions started going into place amid the spread of the COVID-19 virus. While the traffic count appears lower than at the start of the pandemic, last month’s numbers actually indicate some positive gains because, in the first half of March 2020, planes were still in the air.