Northwest Arkansas National Airport remains on its torrid pace with an impressive number of passengers boarding flights last month.
XNA reported this week that 99,964 passengers boarded flights in August, surpassing August 2023 by over 15,000. This marks the eighth month this year that XNA has exceeded the previous year’s monthly numbers.
Summertime is a busy flying time at most airports and XNA is no exception. After seeing more than 108,000 passengers board flights at XNA in June and then again in July, August often takes a step back as Northwest Arkansas residents turn their attention to the start of a new school year.
It’s normal for XNA to see a slight decrease in travel in September and to pick back up in October.
The upcoming nonstop destinations have travelers excited and could be instrumental in pushing XNA’s already record-breaking numbers even higher.
The first of the three takes off Nov. 11 for Detroit, and it’s being offered by Delta Air Lines.
Next comes American Airlines, which is re-establishing its nonstop flight to Philadelphia, something it tried in 2019 and then stopped offering within a few months. It takes to the air on Dec. 19.
The last of those new flights is being offered by Delta to Salt Lake City this upcoming February, giving the airline its first route that goes directly west from Northwest Arkansas. As it stands today, many Delta travelers must go to Minneapolis or Atlanta to connect with the airline’s westbound flights. It’s less than ideal as it significantly increases travel time.
The big August number puts XNA on pace for slightly more than 1.1 million passengers this year. The airport’s best year was 2023 when 991,489 boarded flights.
