A record number of passengers took to the skies from Northwest Arkansas National Airport in June, underscoring the region’s continued growth and appetite for travel.
June’s big number — 129,045 passengers departing on flights from XNA — beat the airport’s previous best month of 125,189 passengers, set in June 2025.
With XNA consistently posting strong passenger numbers and thousands of visitors departing the region following Walmart’s annual shareholders celebration in early June, another record month was hardly a surprise.
“June’s record reflects the continued strength of Northwest Arkansas and the confidence travelers place in XNA,” said Aaron Burkes, CEO of XNA. “We are grateful to our passengers, airline partners and airport team for helping us reach this milestone. As demand continues to grow, we remain focused on providing the service, facilities and air connectivity our region needs.”
Passenger numbers through the year’s first six months are 5.3% higher than they were at the same point last year. If that growth continues in the second half of the year, XNA would end 2026 with about 1.3 million departing passengers, surpassing last year’s record of 1.26 million.
Whether XNA reaches that mark will depend largely on the airlines and the number of seats they make available. So far, carriers have responded to the region’s growing demand by adding capacity.
A report by an airport consultant in May showed airlines would offer 7% to 10% more seats at XNA in July, August, September and October than during the same months in 2025. The biggest increases are from American Airlines, which is offering XNA passengers significantly more seats in July (20%), August (11.6%), September (14.7%) and October (14.7%).
However, it’s not all good news for the air travel industry, and broader trends could affect what’s ahead for XNA. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told Fox News recently that he expects higher airfares in recent weeks will stay in place even if jet fuel costs decline from recent highs. Higher fares could dampen demand for air travel.
The best June numbers at XNA came from American, the airport’s largest carrier. After setting a single-month passenger record in May with 60,310 departing passengers, American beat that mark in June with 63,310. The airline also offered more flights this June to Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia and Phoenix.
Allegiant Air had its best month of the year with 14,012 departing passengers, but that was well below the 17,901 passengers it carried in June 2025. The decline could be attributed to Allegiant offering fewer flights to several key destinations, including Las Vegas, St. Pete-Clearwater and Orlando-Sanford.
