August Airline Boardings Follow Seasonal Trend

North Dakota’s eight commercial service airports posted a total of 82,371 airline passenger boardings during the month of August. This month experienced lower passenger traffic than July but is still the second highest month of airline passenger demand experienced since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last three months, the statewide passenger counts have been sustained at approximately 15 – 20% below pre-pandemic levels.

Kyle Wanner

“July is historically one of our busiest months out of the year for air travel and so it can be expected to see lower passenger numbers heading into the Fall as leisure travel begins to slow down,” stated Kyle Wanner, Executive Director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission.  “Our communities are doing an incredible job in maintaining a high level of air service and we hope to see passenger demand maintain at current levels and then grow, once the holiday season arrives.” 

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.