Asheville Regional Airport Posts Second-Highest Year in History with 2.24 Million Passengers in 2025

Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) served 2,240,877 million passengers in 2025, marking the second-busiest year of passenger utilization in the airport’s history. This achievement underscores the region’s continued demand for air travel and highlights AVL as a vital and resilient gateway to western North Carolina.

Despite significant challenges, including impacts from Hurricane Helene and ongoing terminal construction, AVL demonstrated remarkable resilience and sustained passenger growth.

“Reaching 2.24 million passengers in 2025 in the wake of unexpected impacts and major construction is a tremendous accomplishment,” said Lew Bleiweis, President & CEO of the Greater Asheville Regional Airport Authority. “The region has moved forward with resilience and so has its airport. This performance reflects the strength of our community’s support, the confidence of our airline partners, and the region’s continued appeal as both a destination and a place to live and work.”

AVL continues to be a critical economic driver for western North Carolina, supporting jobs, visitor spending, and broader regional growth. Growth across AVL’s air service network remained strong throughout the year, highlighted by the addition of new nonstop routes and more airline seats for sale to existing routes. Looking ahead into 2026, travelers will see increased frequencies and capacity to key markets served by five airlines: Allegiant, American, Delta, Sun Country and United.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.