North Dakota air travel rebounding, still below last year

BISMARCK, N.D. – Passenger traffic is starting to pick up again at North Dakota’s airports but remains less than half of what it was a year ago before the coronavirus pandemic drove people into their homes.

The Bismarck Tribune reports the state’s eight commercial airports saw about 5,000 passengers, or 5% of expected traffic, in April, the lowest monthly passenger county since record keeping began 40 years ago.

Passenger counts rose to 13,474 in May; 24,313 in June; and 39,660 in July. That’s still down 64% from July 2019, according to the state Areonautics Commission. Year-to-date boardings are down about 50% overall.

The Federal Aviation Administration is providing more than $85 million in aid to 53 North Dakota airports through the federal coroanavirus relief bill. The Bismarck airport is getting more than $20 million.