Local, state and federal officials gathered on Friday to celebrate the completion of the new Williston Basin International Airport.

The new $273 million airport, located 10 miles northwest of Williston, covers 1,600 acres, according to information from Gov. Doug Burgum’s office. It replaces Sloulin Field International Airport, which no longer met Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) design standards and also faced runway issues and expansion constraints as airline boardings increased dramatically during the Bakken oil boom. At its peak, Sloulin Field saw more than 119,000 boardings in 2014 – more than 10 times the 11,229 boardings in 2009. Nearly 78,000 people flew through Williston last year, and over 59,000 boardings were reported through August of this year, according to the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new airport was held Oct. 10, 2016. The completed terminal is 100,000 square feet – almost 10 times the size of the Sloulin Field terminal. A combination of local, state and federal dollars funded the airport’s construction.

Those attending Friday’s ribbon cutting included former Gov. Jack Dalrymple and First Lady Betsy Dalrymple, U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, FAA Deputy Associate Administrator for Airports Winsome Lenfert, Bank of North Dakota President Eric Hardmeyer, Aeronautics Commission Executive Director Kyle Wanner, state legislators, city commissioners, airport officials and Williston Mayor Howard Klug, who emceed the ceremony.

The first flight into Williston Basin International Airport is expected to arrive on Thursday, Oct. 10.