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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nIn October 2025, North Dakota\u2019s airports recorded 116,294 passenger boardings, setting a new all-time high for the month of October. This surpasses the previous record of 112,273 boardings set in 2024\u2014a 4% year-over-year increase, representing more than 4,000 additional travelers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seven of the state\u2019s eight commercial service airports also reported growth compared to October 2024, contributing to North Dakota\u2019s eighteenth consecutive month of record-breaking passenger traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The state also remains on pace to finish 2025 with its highest-ever annual passenger total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Federal Shutdown Impacts:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The federal government shutdown, which began on October 1st, had minimal impact on North Dakota\u2019s airports during the month of October. Of the nearly 1,800 scheduled airline departures statewide, only one flight was canceled during the entire month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Direct impacts to North Dakota airports began to emerge on November 7th, when the FAA announced that 40 airports nationwide could experience temporary capacity reductions of up to 10% due to air traffic controller staffing constraints. This has recently resulted in some delays and cancellations across North Dakota\u2019s airports, with the full impact to be reported in next month\u2019s passenger boarding release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 43-day shutdown ended on November 12th, allowing the FAA to scale back these reductions to approximately 6% as airspace operations at affected airports are gradually restored. Some residual delays and cancellations may still occur in the week ahead as the federal workforce fully resumes operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Travelers can take comfort knowing that air travel operations are expected to return to full capacity before the Thanksgiving travel period begins. As operations return to normal, Passengers are also encouraged to continue monitoring airline updates for any schedule changes or potential impacts to their flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn the spirit of gratitude, I want to thank all of our federal employees – including TSA staff and air traffic controllers – who continued to provide essential services throughout this challenging time period,\u201d said Kyle Wanner, Executive Director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission. \u201cAir travel remains one of the safest and most reliable forms of transportation, and we look forward to operations returning to full capacity in the coming days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Individual Airport October Passenger Records:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fargo \u2013 Hector International Airport set a new October record with 50,846 boardings, surpassing the previous high of 48,627 set in October 2024. This also marks Fargo\u2019s nineteenth consecutive month of all-time monthly highs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Devils Lake Regional Airport reached a new October record with 988 boardings, exceeding the prior October record of 785 in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n