BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Passenger boardings at North Dakota’s eight commercial airports in 2013 set a record for the second straight year.
Boardings in Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, Williston, Dickinson, Devils Lake and Jamestown last year totaled more than 1.1 million, the state Aeronautics Commission said Friday. That was an 11 percent increase from 2012, when boardings in the state surpassed the million mark for the first time.
North Dakota has a healthy economy in large part because of an oil boom in the western part of the state. Passenger boardings in the oil patch cities of Dickinson and Williston were up 47 percent and 152 percent respectively over the year.
Five airports set annual passenger records: Dickinson, Williston, Bismarck, Fargo and Grand Forks.
“As new airlines and flights continue to be attracted to the strong North Dakota market, we can expect the growth to continue in the near future,” Aeronautics Commissioner Kyle Wanner said.
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