Grand Forks International Airport sees 5% increase in passenger boardings in 2023
Feb. 13—GRAND FORKS — Grand Forks International Airport last year saw the most people taking flights since 2019, according to the airport's enplanement data.
In 2023, the airport saw 93,815 enplanements, or passengers boarding commercial aircraft, which includes charters. This was an almost 5% increase from 2022 and a 100% increase since 2020. Grand Forks is still seeing fewer passengers taking flights compared to pre-pandemic numbers, but the airport has seen year-over-year increases in enplanements since a dramatic drop in 2020 due to the pandemic.
"I would say 2023 was pretty similar to 2022 in that we're past (the peak of) COVID by and large, which is a good thing," said Grand Forks International Airport Executive Director Ryan Riesinger. "The constraints right now really are due to available seats in our market."
According to data presented to the Grand Forks City Council on Monday, Feb. 12.
and the Mayor's Air Service Expansion Committee, Grand Forks sees fewer than half of the number of passenger flights a day on average compared to Fargo or Bismarck.
A big issue is airlines flying larger planes because of pilot shortages. There are roughly the same number of seats, but they're on bigger planes — and fewer flights. Additionally, while many travelers have returned to their pre-pandemic vacation habits, business travel hasn't come back in the same way.
"Leisure travel by and large is driving a lot of the recovery, but at the same time, business travel is certainly important for all airports, including Grand Forks," Riesinger said. "That's another good reason for the extra effort in reaching out to major businesses in Grand Forks and in the region to understand their needs and concerns and work to try to have as many options for them as possible."
Since October,
Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski has convened a group of business and political leaders to discuss how best to expand air service operations at the airport
. Some business leaders have said a lack of options can be frustrating. Grand Forks' main carrier, Delta, flies only to Minneapolis, for instance.
According to the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, Fargo is by far the busiest airport in North Dakota with 516,071 boardings last year.
Fargo Hector International Airport
recently announced that it received a $10 million grant for a terminal expansion.
The plans call for almost doubling the terminal from five to nine gates and building a four-level parking garage. The airport is expected to see a 66% increase in passengers in the next 20 years.
The total number of boardings for the commercial airports in the state — Fargo, Bismarck, Minot, Grand Forks and Williston — last year topped 1 million for the first time since 2016.
In 2024, the Grand Forks airport will continue to work on a potential air services grant as well as some construction projects, like runway and taxiway reconstructions and rehabs. Design work will begin on the complete reconstruction of the main runway. Construction on that project will begin in 2026 and likely will last until 2028.
