Central ND News

North Dakota airports recorded more than 100,000 passenger boardings in September 2025, marking the first time this milestone has been reached in a single month. Seven of the state’s eight commercial airports reported growth compared to September last year, contributing to North Dakota’s seventeenth consecutive month of record-breaking passenger traffic.

Airline capacity increased across the state, with 131,149 airline seats available for purchase in September. This figure is up from 126,120 seats offered one year ago. The number of scheduled airline departures also rose to 1,781 flights from 1,567 during September 2024. The average statewide aircraft load factor remained steady at 79%, indicating sustained demand for air service.

The state is on track to finish 2025 with its highest annual passenger traffic on record.

"North Dakota airports continued to see record-breaking passenger traffic, highlighting the strength of our state’s air service network," said Kyle Wanner, Executive Director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission. "Although the federal government shutdown that began in early October is still ongoing, travelers can be confident that airline operations continue to remain on schedule and that our airports are fully prepared to continue to serve passengers."

Williston Basin International Airport introduced new seasonal nonstop service twice weekly by Sun Country Airlines to Las Vegas starting September 4th and continuing through December 15th.

Fargo – Hector International Airport set a new September boarding record with 46,258 passengers, surpassing its previous high of 43,663 set last year. This marks Fargo’s eighteenth consecutive month achieving all-time monthly highs. Devils Lake Regional Airport also saw a new August boarding record with 752 passengers.

In September statewide statistics showed there were only one canceled departure flight out of nearly eighteen hundred scheduled flights—a cancellation rate of just 0.1%.