Passenger numbers fell 50 percent at Minot airport in 2020

MINOT, N.D. – The pandemic caused a huge reduction in the number of passengers flying through North Dakota airports in 2020. But now those numbers are starting to increase.

The Director of the Minot International Airport says they finished last year down 50% from the previous year.

He says things did begin to pick up close to the end of the year during the holiday travel season, and as we begin the second month of 2021, he’s optimistic about this year’s numbers.

“Anecdotally I would say it’s looking fairly good. Still no business travel but we are still flying to Phoenix and Las Vegas and we do see some connecting traffic through Denver and through Minneapolis,” said Rick Feltner.

He says airlines like Delta have also released their flight schedule for 2021, increasing the number of flights they’ll offer for more passengers.