Northwest Arkansas National Airport’s passenger surge from 2024 has spilled over into the new year.

After seeing a record-setting 1.1 million passengers board flights last year, January 2025 was terrific, too. The 80,505 passengers was 13.8% more than in January 2024. Air travel nationwide was up about 2% over the same month last year.

Indeed, XNA has been on a roll since all the airport and airline troubles associated with the COVID-19 pandemic came to an end.

In Arkansas, January is normally terrible for airports and airlines. Coupled with its calendar neighbor February, the year’s first two months are often the low point of the year before spring break travel in March kicks off a string of solid months at XNA. That’s how it plays out most years.

However, travel stayed high through December last year and the year’s last eight months saw at least 99,000 passengers board flights for trips to Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Los Angeles and more than 20 other nonstop destinations.

Despite being three days shorter, other data kept by XNA hints that February is likely to top January’s 80,505 passengers. Through February’s first 20 days, the airport was on pace for about 81,000 passengers.

It could go a bit higher if passengers are wooed by the new Delta Air Lines nonstop flight to Salt Lake City. The airline started making that trip on Feb. 13, and it’s the first time in years that Delta lovers have had a good westbound option from XNA.