Airport breaks its summer passenger record

Summer air travel was brisk at Glacier Park International Airport, with passenger numbers up 13.9 percent from last year.

From June to September the airport processed 112,952 passengers compared to 97,206 travelers for the same period in 2016, the previous record.

This year also marks the first summer in history that Glacier Park International saw more than 40,000 outbound passengers pass through the airport in a single month. A total of 42,983 passengers visited in July, while 43,866 came in August.

Though most summer travel is attributed to tourism, Airport Director Rob Ratkowski emphasized that local travelers also are making an impact, particularly during non-summer months. Travel during off-season months is up more than 5 percent over last year.

“To see this kind of uptick during both our peak and non-peak seasons is very encouraging,” Ratkowski said in a press release. “We are working to ensure that airport expansion accommodates the growth of our community and its increasing travel needs.”

With numbers up across the board, Ratkowski said the airport aims to adapt accordingly, beginning with an update of its airport master plan. Updated every decade, the plan outlines the airport’s 20-year growth plan. The plan takes into account expected passenger and aircraft activity, land use around the airport and facilities that need expansion or improvement.

Ratkowski said he already has begun gathering input from local stakeholders such as local government municipalities, land-planning agencies, area businesses such as Flathead Electric Cooperative, Kalispell Regional Medical Center, Weyerhaeuser, economic development groups and those within the aviation industry. Once outreach is complete, the airport will evaluate development alternatives and begin seeking funding from the Federal Aviation Administration to help cover a portion of the costs of improvement projects. The update is expected to be complete in the winter of 2018.