North Dakota's eight commercial service airports had their busiest May on record this year.
Meanwhile, the state Aeronautics Commission recently approved $16 million in infrastructure grants to public airports across North Dakota.
The number of airline boardings in Bismarck, Williston, Dickinson, Minot, Fargo, Grand Forks, Devils Lake and Jamestown during May totaled 103,068, beating the previous May record of 100,389 in 2014, according to the commission. Boardings were up 13% from May 2023.
"The demand for air travel remains strong across the state, and we are excited to begin surpassing passenger numbers not seen since the oil boom days," commission Director Kyle Wanner said in a statement. "Increased passenger traffic will continue to help bolster North Dakota's airports and their efforts to secure additional air service opportunities."
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Kyle Wanner
Boardings were up over the previous year at all airports except Grand Forks, which was down 5.9% from last May, and Jamestown, which saw a 77.5% drop due to a lengthy planned closure for a major pavement rehabilitation project.
Bismarck's boardings were up 25.7% — thanks in part to a new Allegiant flight to the Tampa Bay area — while Dickinson's rose 5.5% and Williston's were up 34.7%. Other increases: Fargo (8.7%), Minot (11.1%) and Devils Lake (44.1%).
The Fargo and Devils Lake airports set new records for May with 44,547 and 947 passengers, respectively. The previous May record for both airports was last year.
Year-to-date boardings statewide stand at 491,520, up 7.1% from the same point in 2023. Bismarck's boardings are up 13.6%, Dickinson's 9.8% and Williston's 30.2%.
The average aircraft load statewide in May was 80%. There were 1,516 flight departures and nine cancellations, for a cancellation rate of 0.6%.
Travelers can fly nonstop out of Bismarck to Minneapolis, Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Orlando and Tampa Bay.
The full May boardings report is at bit.ly/4c4CTxd.
Airport grants
The Aeronautics Commission recently approved $7.7 million in grants to commercial service airports and $8.3 million to smaller general aviation airports.
The commission said $10 million of the money is through the Operation Prairie Dog bill approved by the 2019 Legislature to distribute state oil tax revenue to counties, cities, townships and airports in non-oil-producing areas for infrastructure needs. The other $6 million is through the Aeronautics Commission’s Special Fund, where the primary revenue source is state tax collections on aviation fuel and aircraft sales. The state money also serves as a match for federal dollars.
Bismarck is getting about $671,000 from the state for more than a dozen projects ranging from rehabilitation of pavement to replacement of carpeting in the terminal. Williston is getting $171,700 and Dickinson $1.6 million for various projects. Fargo is getting the most money, at $3 million.
"Our airports are vital to the state's economic health, and they facilitate the safe and efficient transportation of people and products worldwide," Wanner said. "We are excited to provide these grants and contribute to infrastructure solutions that will assist our communities to grow and diversify their local economies."
A full list of projects and grants can be found on the commission's website, at aero.nd.gov.
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