Jan. 31—Business is booming at Billings Logan International Airport. With a record-breaking 980,676 travelers passing through the airport in 2024, food, beverage and gift shop sales skyrocketed.
Billings Aviation and Transit Director Jeff Roach said the $60 million investment to upgrade and expand the terminal is paying off with passenger counts, aircraft activity and airport revenue reaching all-time highs. That helps with the push to add flights and make Billings air travel more affordable, he said.
Last year airport food, beverage and gift shop sales grew every month. Parking and rental car revenues were also up, Roach said.
BIL's concessionaire Sky Dine brought in more than $1 million for the first time during the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year. With a record $1,047,299 in food and beverage sales from July 1 to Sept. 30, the airport received a $83,783 cut of the profit.
Sky blu Gifts also reached an all-time high with $526,108 in first quarter sales, bringing BIL a $131,527 commission.
"Sales have been going up dramatically," Roach said. "They've been doing an outstanding job and have expanded the offerings significantly with products that match the demand from passengers."
Among the offerings available in the newly upgraded terminal are local craft beers, cocktails and espresso drinks from the airport bar, Skyward Brews, and the Mountain Mudd coffee stand. Restaurant options include Logan's Diner, Cinnabon and Stacked, A Montana Grill.
Sky blu Gifts offers passengers looking to pass time while waiting for a flight a variety of souvenirs and Montana-made products to peruse.
The increased revenue the non-airline vendors have been bringing in helps keep ticket prices down and makes the airport more attractive to carriers looking to add flights, Roach said.
BIL is already expecting an increase of 30,000 seats this year with two airlines adding new flights from June to August. United Airlines has announced a sixth daily trip to Denver and American Airlines is adding a second flight to Chicago.
Roach said he hopes to see more flight schedule expansions ahead of the busy summer travel season.
"We're looking forward to a great year," he said.
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