ND Aeronautics Commission - News

(Bismarck, ND) – The North Dakota Aeronautics Commission (NDAC) reports that the state’s eight commercial service airports recorded 108,460 airline passenger boardings during August 2026, a decrease of approximately 4% compared to August 2025.

Airlines provided a total of 129,976 available departure seats during the month, a decrease of 6% from the previous year. Despite the reduction in seating capacity, the statewide average aircraft load factor increased from 82% to 84%, indicating that a greater percentage of available airline seats were occupied.

Airline operational reliability remained strong throughout August, with 1,758 successful departures and only five flight cancellations statewide, representing a cancellation rate of just 0.3%.

Through the first eight months of 2026, North Dakota airports recorded 868,664 passenger boardings, a decrease of 2.4% compared to the same period in 2025. Despite the modest decline, year-to-date passenger boardings remain the second-highest on record for the state.

Additional Airport Information:

• Jamestown Regional Airport: The airport’s primary runway was closed for rehabilitation from August 14–30, resulting in the temporary suspension of scheduled commercial airline service during this period.

Individual Airport August Passenger Records:

• Fargo Hector International Airport established a new August passenger record with 53,392 boardings, surpassing its previous August record of 50,867 set in 2025.
• Devils Lake Regional Airport established a new August passenger record with 1,124 boardings, surpassing its previous August record of 946 set in 2025.

August 2026 Statewide Airline Passenger Statistics

• Total Airline Passenger Boardings: 108,460
• Available Airline Departure Seats: 129,976
• Average Aircraft Load Factor: 84%
• Number of Successful Airline Departure Flights: 1,758
• Number of Airline Departure Flight Cancellations: 5
• Airline Departure Flight Cancellation Rate: 0.3%

August 2026 Airline Boarding Report

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