Helena Regional Airport sees 5th year of passenger increases

HELENA, Mont. — Officials say a Montana airport has experienced a fifth consecutive increase in annual passenger numbers.

The Independent Record reported nearly 238,000 passengers flew to or from Helena Regional Airport in 2019, a 1.7% increase over 2018.

An official says the increase was smaller than previous years when additional flights or larger aircraft meant significantly higher numbers of travelers.

In 2018 United Airlines added an additional Helena flight. Delta switched to larger aircraft at peak travel times, which added about 30,000 seats in 2017, an increase of about 11%.

Officials say passenger traffic has increased 18.2% over the past six years.