During the pandemic, a number of carriers cut service and Missoula lost a number of routes. Now, as travel out of Missoula grows to record numbers, the flights are coming back and carriers are doing so on larger airplanes.
With a new airline locked into nonstop flights to Minneapolis next summer, Missoula Montana Airport is looking beyond its existing routes in hopes of expanding service.
The airport on Tuesday said passenger counts for August were up 12.7% over last year and up more than 6% over the same month in 2019, which was a record setting year for the airport.
Martin Kidston
(Missoula Current) The Missoula Montana Airport saw a record number of passengers arrive or depart from the Garden City in July, representing a 25% increase in passenger growth over the same period last year.
With a new passenger record set in June and a likely repeat in July, the Missoula Montana Airport has turned its focus toward the completion of its new concourse and the expansion of its deicing pad.
The airport and Missoula Economic Partnership are looking to package an air service grant to help bring new service. It used a similar grant in 2018 to bring American Airlines into the market with service to Dallas/Fort Worth.
As airlines finalize their new flight schedules, Missoula looks poised to gain more seats, more flights to main hubs, and a new route into California, officials said.
As the pandemic shook up the airline industry, it also did odd things to long-standing statistics, including the rankings of Montana's “busiest” airports.