Montana airports gear up for record-breaking summer
BOZEMAN, Mont — Airports across Montana are gearing up for another record-breaking summer.
In 2022, the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport shattered the all-time record with 2.26 million passengers passing through, nearly a 17% jump over the previous record in 2021, and in 2023 they predict more of the same.
“We expect right now, 2023 to be another record, and I think right now we're projecting about a 5% increase over 2022,” Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport Director Brian Sprenger said.
The numbers show over 40% of passengers traveling by air to or from Montana traveled through Bozeman last year. Making it Montana’s busiest airport.
With most of the action happening in the summer.
“The transition is early May, and it just keeps building from that point on until we get to about the third week of June, and then it's just really busy right through the end of August, then for the rest of the summer,” Sprenger said.
Over at the Missoula Montana Airport officials tell me they’re forecasting this summer around 160,000 enplanements, an 18% increase over last year, and a 5% over our record high in 2019.
With the growth, airport directors recommend arriving early.
“Get here early, just gives people a better opportunity to deal with any last-minute changes that might occur. the weather changes, and not to mention, you know, obviously sometimes there's traffic on the road coming to the airport, we want to have you have a good trip and less stress,” Sprenger said.
