Through the 1980s and 1990s the airport saw considerable airline service with as many as seven airlines at any given time operating over 40 flights per day to fourteen destinations. Traffic peaked in 1997 then began a downfall as many passengers began driving to nearby Detroit Metropolitan Airport, a major hub airport. By 2011 all but two airlines had discontinued service. Traffic bottomed out in 2012 then began a slow growth. In 2015 Toledo Express recorded its third straight year of passenger growth reaching 179,911.