Dickinson airport lags in July for boarding

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The number of passengers who boarded airplanes at the Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport in July is down by about 3 percent, but airport Manager Matthew Remynse is optimistic.

“We’re actually lucky. There are some airports that are down in the 15 to 20 percent range,” he said. “We’re holding on in a tough time right now. With the economy and the oil prices dropping as well, we’re not seeing as much oil traffic coming through the airport as we normally see.”

Last year 784 passengers boarded in July while 763 boarded this year during the same month, Remynse said.

He added the number of passengers who have boarded so far this year compares very closely to the same time period last year. Remynse said 4,713 passengers had boarded flights by this time last year, while 4,714 have boarded this year.

Remynse does not believe flight cost at the Dickinson airport contributed to the decrease and said their flights are comparable to other airports in the area.

“We are within $50 of Bismarck a lot of the time,” Remynse said.

Boardings at North Dakota’s eight commercial airports in July were the highest for any month over the past 10 years.

State Aeronautics Commissioner Larry Taborsky says 71,815 passengers flew last month, up 9.2 percent over the year.

Taborsky says there were 62 daily departures from the state’s airports in July, up from 54 in July 2008. He says there also are new destinations available to travelers, including Chicago and Salt Lake City.

Fargo saw the biggest rise over the year in passengers, with an increase of 3,687. Devils Lake had the biggest percentage increase, at nearly 27 percent.

The Bismarck, Grand Forks and Minot airports also saw increases, while the Williston airport saw a drop of about 13 percent. The Jamestown airport had a decrease of less than 3 percent over the year.

— The Bismarck AP contributed to this story.

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