Fort Smith airport passenger traffic posts big gain in September

Enplanements at the Fort Smith Regional Airport got off to a slow start in 2025, but the traffic has improved in recent months with September traffic up almost 18% and third-quarter numbers up more than 7%.

September enplanements were 6,290, up 17.65% compared with 5,346 in September 2024, according to airport information. Enplanements between January and September total 47,196, up 1.7% compared with the same period in 2024.

The year-to-date gain is courtesy of a rise in traffic during the third quarter (July-September). Traffic in the quarter totaled 17,757, up 7.45% compared with the 16,525 in the same period of 2024.

“This increase was supported in part by the addition of an extra daily flight that operated during the month, which provided travelers with more flexibility and convenience in scheduling their trips,” said Airport Director Andrew Meyer. “We’re encouraged by the uptick in demand we continue to see from both business and leisure travelers, and we appreciate the community’s ongoing support of their hometown airport.”

The U.S Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports U.S. enplanements totaled 92.2 million in July, a new record for the month and up 0.4% compared with July 2024. The July numbers were the latest available from the bureau as of Nov. 5.

Enplanements at the airport in 2024 totaled 61,409, up 1.2% compared with the 60,669 enplanements in 2023. The 2024 tally is down 35.8% compared with 2019 when those traveling out of the airport totaled 95,670. Enplanements fell to 38,660 in 2020.

Fort Smith enplanements were on a growth trend prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last time enplanements topped 100,000 was in 2005 with 102,607. The enplanement record is 112,782 set in 1975.

American Airlines had four to five flights a day in 2021 but has reduced its schedule to three flights a day. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines stopped its direct service to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in July 2020.

The airport received a $1.145 million grant in August 2022 from the Small Community Air Service Development Program of the Federal Aviation Administration to recruit a route to Chicago or another northeastern market. The grant is good for 10 years. The airport contracted with Middleton, Wisc.-based Mead & Hunt to help recruit more flights and add new markets.

“Our goal remains to expand air service options and enhance the overall travel experience for everyone flying out of Fort Smith,” said Meyer, who was named airport director in late September.

Following are the previous 10 years of Fort Smith enplanement totals.
2024: 61,409
2023: 60,669
2022: 61,719
2021: 47,287
2020: 38,660
2019: 95,670
2018: 90,501
2017: 89,582
2016: 87,488
2015: 86,704