Will KCI add international flights? Still fewer passengers, nonstop trips than pre-pandemic

Joseph Hernandez
·3 min read

Among airports in the United States that serve 2 to 3 million people, Kansas City International Airport is the third-largest market that doesn’t offer transatlantic flights. The airport is behind Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and Indianapolis International Airport, according to KCI marketing and air service director Justin Meyer.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the way in four short years, will Kansas City go international?

For now, the airport only offers flights to fellow World Cup hosting countries Canada and Mexico, but Meyer said officials hope to add more international flights and nonstop flights within the country before the games begin.

Service to and from KCI has increased as COVID-19 travel restrictions have loosened, but the number and frequency of available flights aren’t back to pre-pandemic levels yet. Before 2026 rolls around, Meyer said airport leadership is working to get both service and ridership back to the peak levels of summer 2019.

WHAT DID KCI LOOK LIKE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC?

During the summer of 2019, more than 600 passengers departed from KCI for transatlantic destinations every day. Back then, Icelandair took people directly to Iceland, and passengers would hop on connecting flights to the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany and Ireland.

Meyer said those numbers are significant and helped get the attention of international operators that are considering Kansas City for international service.

In the summer of 2019, KCI served 664,674 passengers across 4,999 nonstop flights.

During the same timespan in the summer of 2022, KCI ridership is down by more than 100,000 from pre-pandemic levels, with about a thousand fewer flights, with 540,141 passengers across 3,984 nonstop flights.

The airport lost nonstop flights to Cincinnati, Orlando, Punta Gorda, San Francisco, Albuquerque, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and San Antonio between the summer of 2019 and now.

WHAT NONSTOP FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO KCI?

Since 2022, KCI has added the following nonstop flights:

Meyer said Southwest is looking to restore its nonstop flight to Raleigh-Durham from KCI in November, but it has not been confirmed yet.

Services to Albuquerque, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and San Antonio haven’t been added back yet since May 2020, but KCI is looking to get those nonstop flights up and running in the future.

HOW LONG UNTIL KCI ADDS NONSTOP TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHTS?

Meyer said that he and Patrick Klein, the director of aviation at KCI, are meeting face-to-face with several European operators in the next two weeks with the goal of getting Kansas City into position to host a direct flight to Europe.

They have been in talks with several European airlines about potential international flights to add, he said.

“Whenever an airline is ready to launch in Kansas City, we’re ready for them,” Meyer said.

He said that the possibility of adding transatlantic flights also depends on factors like business travel returning to pre-pandemic numbers and the world’s ability to continue managing COVID-19 and limiting its spread.

IS THE WORLD CUP A FACTOR?

While the World Cup in Kansas City is four years away, and no one knows what teams will qualify for the tournament, the global event certainly puts a spotlight on the need for more flights.

Meyer said he expects airlines to add some flights from whichever countries’ teams play in Kansas City. For example, if Germany has a game at Arrowhead, he thinks a German-based carrier will put in a few flights to allow fans to have access to the market.

“We’re ready to cash in on the benefit of the international spotlight as soon as possible,” Meyer said.