April 2023 Update From The Municipal Airport Authority
Passenger Terminal Expansion
The project includes a 4 gate 81,000 square foot addition and a 5 gate 56,000 square foot existing building renovation (there will be 9 gates total upon completion). This includes the addition of concession spaces on the secure side, adding a nursing room, family restrooms, a service animal relief area, children’s play area, a sensory room and expansion of the ticketing area.
ArtWORKS Exhibit Installed at Airport: Eric A. Johnson
Artist Eric A. Johnson didn’t pursue formal art training until his freshman year at North Dakota State University. He eventually earned his MFA in Printmaking from the University of North Dakota. Johnson has exhibited extensively in regional and national exhibitions, including solo exhibits at the Rourke Art Museum (Moorhead, MN). Johnson’s award-winning work is found in private and corporate collections around the region. He is a visual art instructor at Minnesota State Community and Technical College.
The relief prints in this series of slightly abstracted trees were inspired by Johnson’s interest in bold, colorful images that veer toward abstraction. He creates the reduction relief prints by carving away at a single block after each layer of color is applied/printed, until the desired image appears. He has noted that his work draws from both his life experiences and his active imagination.
Airport Authority Requests Proposals for Construction Manager at Risk
Work continues with the terminal expansion project. The Airport Authority and Architect have begun the process of hiring a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR)/Contractor for the project. This step involves hiring a construction manager to oversee the project from design through construction close and deliver the project with a guaranteed maximum price. An RFP for interested parties was posted and proposals were due April 20. Interviews will be completed in May. Watch for more details in our next e-newsletter.
Sun Country Partners with Landline
Sun Country Airlines offers travelers more options to connect to their favorite destinations. The airline expanded their partnership with Landline to launch motorcoach service five days per week between Hector International Airport in Fargo (FAR) and Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP), offering convenient connections to anywhere Sun Country flies.
Landline provides guests one-stop access to multiple Sun Country destinations via MSP. Landline motorcoach vehicles feature a premium interior with free wi-fi and entertainment, extra leg room, leather seats, in-seat power and an onboard lavatory. Customers connecting to Sun Country flights via Landline can enjoy a hassle-free experience that includes the ability to check bags in Fargo.
Landline connections are available to customers just like any other connecting flight. Simply visit www.suncountry.com and book a trip starting or ending at Fargo’s Hector International Airport (FAR).
Winter Weather
While Mother Nature seems to have figured out that it’s spring, finally, the 2023 winter was a tough one for flyers. Fargo received an above average amount of snow with over 60 inches of snow falling over the course of the winter. With that comes winter weather challenges in the form of cancelled flights, delays, parking woes and de-icing.
As you can imagine, it’s hard to clean snow from the airport parking lots in an efficient manner when most vehicles do not move for several days. While we try to do as much snow removal as we can, it’s definitely a challenge. Winter storms require airport employees to be ready at a moment’s notice from late October through nearly May each year. The airport snow removal crew is at the airport for the duration of every storm and prides itself in keeping the airport open. There were a few instances where our airfield crews simply could not keep up with Mother Nature. One airline may choose to operate their flights while another may cancel. During winter months the main cause for airline cancellations are due to visibility, crosswind components, rate of snow fall or dangerous temperatures. These conditions cause airlines to cancel flights long before the airfield is in a condition where a plane cannot take off or land. We should be out of the woods now, but it’s important for travelers to remember to check their airline’s website or mobile app to stay up to date on your flight status.
Parking at the Airport
Hector International Airport has three parking areas available to use: Short-Term, Long-Term and Economy lots. To enter each lot, pull a ticket from the entry device and pay upon exit. You can find the most up-to-date rates on our website.
One of the great features of our website is that you can pre-book your parking in the lot of your choice and doing so will save you up to 30% and provide an expedited exit process.
Pre-booking your parking in the short-term, long-term and economy lots will guarantee you a spot but does not reserve a specific spot within any lot. There is an option to purchase a Premium Reserved spot which guarantees you a premium front row spot in the long-term parking lot. Travelers who pre-book, scan their QR code from your confirmation email after booking to exit the lot.
If you choose not to pre-book and it’s time to leave, did you know there is a parking payment kiosk inside the airport? You can find the kiosk near the baggage claims. To use the kiosk inside the airport, insert your parking stub, pay with cash or card, take your receipt with you to your vehicle and conveniently exit the parking lot.
Our new exit plaza is now open as well! The exit plaza is located on the south end of the long-term lot.
For more information visit https://www.fargoairport.com/at-the-airport/parking/
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Q1 Boarding Statistics
Hector International Airport travel numbers are continuing to increase and exceed our expectations. In March, the airport had three All-Time travel records broken.
January 2023
Hector International Airport’s airline passenger traffic in January showed an increase when compared to the same month in 2022. In January 2023, the passenger enplanements were 43,705. This is an increase of 27% when compared to the January 2022 passenger enplanements of 34,470. The previous record January was set in 2020.
The total passenger count for the month was 86,030, which is up 26% over the same period last year.
There were 591 air carrier departures with an average of 89 seats per flight in January and an average of 2,775 total daily passengers.
February 2023
Hector International Airport’s airline passenger traffic in February showed an increase when compared to the same month in 2022. In February 2023, the passenger enplanements were 42,028. This is an increase of 14% when compared to the February 2022 passenger enplanements of 37,009.
The total passenger count for the month was 83,155, which is up 14% over the same period last year.
There were 526 air carrier departures with an average of 93 seats per flight in February and an average of 2,970 total daily passengers.
March 2023
Hector International Airport’s airline passenger traffic in March showed an increase when compared to the same month in 2022. In March 2023, the passenger enplanements were 48,032. This is an increase of 11% when compared to the March 2022 passenger enplanements of 48,032.
The total passenger count for the month was 98,376, which is up 11% over the same period last year.
Three All-Time passenger records were broken in March 2023
- The previous enplanement record was set in December 2019 with 46,021 passengers.
- The previous deplanement record was set in March 2022 with 44,931 passengers.
- The previous total record was set in December 2019 with 89,409 passengers.
There were 612 air carrier departures with an average of 95 seats per flight in March and an average of 3,173 total daily passengers.