BOZEMAN, MT (January 12, 2017). Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) handled 1,107,168 passengers during 2016. This is up 8.4% compared to 2015 and sets a passenger record for BZN and is the seventh consecutive year of record breaking passenger traffic. BZN now handles 52% more passengers in 2016 than it did in 2010 and accounts for 29% of all air travelers traveling to and from Montana.
The Air Traffic Control Tower handled 76,902 aircraft operations during the year, down 4.5% from 2015 due primarily to taxiway construction that limited touch and go traffic. Corporate operations increased 22.5% to 6,344. General aviation accounts for 72% of aircraft operations at BZN. Scheduled passenger and cargo airline service accounts for approximately 20% and corporate operations account for the remaining 8% of all aircraft operations. There were 129 general aviation international arrivals handled at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office at BZN during the year.
During 2016, Alaska Airlines continued to expand seasonal non-stop service to Portland, Oregon and American Airlines entered the BZN market with the first non-stop flights between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Montana. This coming June, American will add its second destination from BZN with summer seasonal non-stop service to Chicago O’Hare. Work began in September on a new parallel runway that will serve our growing general aviation and flight school programs with an anticipated summer 2017 completion. In addition, construction began on 15 new hangars representing over $20 million in private investment at the airport. BZN is now the eighth busiest airport in the 7-state Northwest Region of the country (Region including Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington) and the 114th busiest airport in the nation in terms of passengers. Later this year, BZN will celebrate its 75th year of serving the traveling public of southwest Montana.
Passenger totals in and out by airline brand in 2016 were:
• Delta Air Lines – 443,970
• United Airlines – 384,195
• Alaska Airlines – 169,141
• Allegiant Air – 58,925
• Frontier Airlines – 28,321
• American Airlines – 19,050
• Chartered Airline Flights – 3,566
About Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport
Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) is Montana’s busiest airport and serves as a year-round gateway to Yellowstone National Park. BZN also serves the recreation areas of Big Sky Resort, Moonlight Basin and the Bridger Bowl Ski Area as well as the business centers of Bozeman, Belgrade and Livingston and higher education at Montana State University and the Gallatin College. BZN handles more passengers than any other Montana airport and is served by five airline brands with coast to coast non-stop service including Atlanta*, Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth*, Denver, Houston*, Las Vegas, Los Angeles*, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Newark*, New York LaGuardia*, Phoenix-Mesa, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco*, and Seattle/Tacoma. Over 700 people are employed by the 30 entities with offices at the airport.
* Denotes seasonal service
