Jill Schramm/MDN Business has slowed at Minot International Airport due to COVID-19. Passenger boardings in April were nearly 6% of April a year ago.

Airline boardings were down 93.7% at Minot International Airport in April – part of a statewide plunge in boardings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Only 801 passengers boarded at Minot in April, compared to 12,743 passengers a year ago.

“That equates to roughly two days of boardings in April 2019,” said Rick Feltner, Minot airport director. “So there has been a severe impact not only on the number of passengers but on the number of flights.”

The North Dakota Aeronautics Commission stated Thursday that the state’s eight commercial service airports during the month of April experienced their lowest monthly passenger count on record since the state began tracking passenger boarding numbers 40 years ago.

About 5,000 passengers or 5% of the normal expected passenger numbers flew out of North Dakota’s airports throughout the month of April.

Feltner said the impact is felt not only by airlines but by the Minot airport’s food and beverage vendor, rental vehicle companies, and the city’s restaurants and hotels.

“The good news for us is we have been approved for CARES Act funding, which will essentially offset all the revenue losses we are experiencing right now. It will allow us to keep our doors open and be ready to take flights and passengers as the business comes back,” he said.

Boardings in May have improved, but minimally, he added.

The aeronautics commission reports airline passenger levels in North Dakota and throughout the rest of the country have begun to slowly rise during the month of May as communities throughout the country begin to re-open. Historically low passenger levels are expected to continue in the near future as long as mitigation efforts for COVID-19 are in place.

Minot’s boardings for the year so far dropped 32.3%, compared to an average 29% drop for the eight commercial airports. Grand Forks has been the hardest hit with a 37.3% decline for the year.

The Devils Lake airport suffered the worst in April with only 14 boardings, which is 3% normal. Both Grand Forks and Fargo were close behind at less than 5% of last year’s totals for April. The Williston airport saw an 88% decline in April and 29.7% for the year through April.

Feltner said the Minot airport has retained staff because maintaining the airport’s 1,600 acres, including runways and taxiways, continues regardless of passenger numbers. They also have taken advantage of the slower time to complete staff trainings and do annual flooring maintenance that normally would require overnight and overtime work.

Meanwhile, there’s still plenty of activity in general aviation activity and in Air Force helicopter training at the airport, Feltner said.

Kyle Wanner, executive director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, said in a news release that airports are prioritizing safety.

“The airports and airlines have implemented additional sanitizing methods in an effort to take every precaution possible for the safety of the flying public. Airlines throughout the country have also started to require face-coverings to be worn on flights to help slow the spread of COVID-19,” he said. “To avoid any surprises, please check the policy of your airline before leaving for the airport.”