TSA checkpoint at Hector International Airport
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFGO) – North Dakota’s eight commercial service airports posted a total of 97,561 airline passenger boardings in March which is a 35% increase in passengers from March 2021.
The month also brought the state’s highest level of airline passenger traffic that has been experienced over a monthly timeframe over the last two years according to the State Aeronautics Commission. The pre-pandemic month of February 2020 was the last time that the state posted a higher monthly passenger count. Multiple airports within the state have now surpassed or are very close to reaching pre-pandemic passenger demand levels.
North Dakota also continues to trend above the national average when looking at the overall pre-pandemic airline passenger recovery rate and the state is currently only 9% below the passenger counts experienced in March of 2019. Passenger demand throughout the country has continued to stay strong in the domestic leisure market, however, the business and international travel sectors are still suffering from COVID-19 impacts.
“It is exciting news to see the highest monthly airline passenger count in two years,” stated Kyle Wanner, Executive Director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission. “These recent passenger numbers help to showcase the continual resiliency and positive recovery in demand for air transportation services within North Dakota. We also expect that this demand for air service should remain elevated going into the summer months, particularly in the leisure sector of the travel market.”
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