Bemidji Regional Airport reports steady traffic and infrastructure investments

Kyle Christensen, executive director of the Bemidji Regional Airport Authority, told the Beltrami County Board the airport is "the 4th busiest airport in the state" by passenger enplanements and is handling roughly 60 takeoffs or landings per day.

Christensen said the airport has about 72 based aircraft, two runways on roughly 1,700 acres and recent capital work including a runway rehabilitation that added two inches of pavement to increase structural depth to six inches. He described funding splits on major projects — for example, one taxiway/runway project was 95% federal, 2.5% state and 2.5% local — and said the airport's FAA entitlement rose from about $1.0 million to $1.3 million annually.

The presentation also covered service and revenue items: SkyWest (operating under Delta brand) provides the scheduled service; the airport collects a $4.50 passenger facility charge on each ticket and keeps about $4.39 of that amount for eligible airport projects. Christensen said the new self-service fuel system and five T-hangar stalls sold about 15,000 gallons in its first year of operation, producing roughly $15,000 so far after minimal maintenance costs. He closed by describing partner agencies at the field — FAA, TSA, BIA and DNR — and noting plans to host the Minnesota Airports Conference in Bemidji in 2028.

The update was informational; commissioners asked about trends in operations, free parking (Christensen said grant restrictions require the airport to keep up to one week free parking), and whether electric aircraft or changes to avgas rules could affect future traffic.