Kyle C. Wanner, Executive Director | North Dakota Aeronautics Commission
Kyle C. Wanner, Executive Director | North Dakota Aeronautics Commission
North Dakota airports continued to see strong summer air travel demand in August, with seven of the state's eight commercial airports reporting growth compared to the same month last year. This marks the sixteenth consecutive month that North Dakota has experienced record-breaking passenger traffic.
Airline capacity also increased statewide. In August, there were 138,175 total airline seats available for purchase, up from 127,837 a year earlier. Scheduled airline departures rose to 1,814 flights, compared to 1,611 in August 2024. The average statewide aircraft load factor remained steady at 82%, indicating consistent passenger interest for current air service levels.
Several notable air service updates occurred during this period. Williston Basin International Airport saw Delta Air Lines add a third daily flight to Minneapolis starting August 1. Sun Country Airlines launched seasonal nonstop service to Las Vegas on September 4; this route will continue through December 15.
Individual airports set new records as well. Fargo’s Hector International Airport recorded a new high for August with 50,867 boardings, surpassing its previous record of 48,514 set in August 2024. This achievement also represents Fargo’s seventeenth consecutive month of all-time monthly highs. Devils Lake Regional Airport reached a new August record with 946 boardings, exceeding its prior record of 881 from last year.
Statewide statistics for August show a total of 112,982 airline passenger boardings and only four departure flight cancellations out of more than eighteen hundred scheduled flights—a cancellation rate of just 0.2%.
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