October brought a mix of good and bad news for Memphis International Airport, which saw passenger traffic decline but cargo counts improve.

The latest numbers were revealed Thursday during the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority’s board of commissioners meeting. They highlighted the ongoing troubles for the aviation industry as carriers reduce capacity to meet the soft demand for air travel here and nationwide.

The airport averaged 257 scheduled daily flights last month, down 7.6 percent from an average of 278 scheduled daily flights the same month a year ago. Also, Memphis flew 836,661 passengers in October, a 7.3 percent decrease from 902,261 passengers in October 2008.

Year to date, the numbers are better, but only marginally. Through October, Memphis International has flown 8.3 million passengers, down 6.8 percent from 8.9 million for the same period of 2008. Once again, the majority of passengers originating from or traveling through Memphis flew with Delta Air Lines Inc., its subsidiary Northwest Airlines or one of the regional carriers operating underneath those two carriers.

October’s cargo figures showed a much brighter outlook. Thanks to an increase in volume from FedEx Corp., which accounts for almost all the cargo tonnage here, Memphis handled 756.7 million pounds of cargo in October, up 5.1 percent from 720.3 million in October 2008.

In other news from Thursday’s meeting, the board of commissioners approved an initial resolution authorizing the airport to issue up to $70 million in revenue bonds for the pending construction of a $150 million parking/rental car facility. Airport executives said they hope to break ground on the structure in the spring.

The airport amended lease agreements with Wilson Air Center and Signature Flight Support because of ongoing construction at the airport.

The reconstruction of Runway 9/27, the airport’s lone east-west runway, is on schedule and should be open Dec. 1, in time for FedEx’s busy holiday season. And the new air traffic control tower has reached 290 feet – leaving only 46 feet to go – and is on target to open in 2011.