MISSOULA - Construction is continuing at Missoula's airport which was ranked just behind Bozeman in 2022 for passengers in Montana.
The Missoula Montana Airport hasn’t been busy just with passengers, but with construction too.
"We're glad we're in the new facility, but can't get this new part done soon enough,” said airport deputy director Tim Damrow.
The airport's new terminal hasn't even been open a year, but with over 425,000 passengers boarding in 2022, they need the space and options the second facility will provide.
"From what we've seen so far, timing couldn’t have been better. We had a very busy summer in Missoula,” Damrow explained. “Winter is continuing. Normally this is our slow season, [but] we’re seeing traffic numbers hit records. January we hit a record number for the airport. “So, timing couldn’t have been better.
The new building will house even more gates, luggage claims, and also a rental car facility.
Damrow also addressed prices in Missoula as compared to Bozeman or Spokane.
"Higher fares in the Missoula area are fairly driven by the flight schedule. We’ve had our schedule turn back as a lot of airports our size have seen recently,” Damrow told MTN News. “There is also an industry-wide pilot shortage that’s causing this to be a challenge for a lot of airports. Here in Missoula, we're seeing a lot of demand but [with] that reduced flight schedule we kind of have the worst of both worlds in that case."
The initial part of the second phase is being excavated and the facility is expected to open either in the fall or in the summer of 2024.
