July 21, 2006, 9:53AM Toledo Express Sees Traffic Decline © 2006 The Associated Press TOLEDO, Ohio ? The number of passengers flying in and out of Toledo Express Airport dropped in the first half of this year following a decline in 2005. Cuts in the number of flights and available seats are to blame, said Paul Toth, the airport director. Airline bankruptcies and liquidations "have just really taken their toll, not just on Toledo but on smaller airports across the country," Toth said. Passengers using the airport declined by nearly 16 percent during the first half of 2006, according to the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, which operates the airport. Business fell by almost 24 percent in 2005. The airport's busiest carrier, Delta Connection, carried 76,382 passengers into or out of Toledo between January and June of this year _ a 34 percent drop from a year ago.