Passenger traffic at MSP increased by 11% in 2023
A plane on the airfield at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is seen, with the Minneapolis skyline in the background. (Courtesy: MSP Airport)
The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) says that 2023 saw an 11% increase in passengers from 2022, driven by a boost in international travel.
In 2023, MSP says they saw 34.7 million travelers, up from 31.2 million in 2022.
The airport set an annual passenger record in 2019 with 39.5 million passengers.
International travel increased by 47% in 2023, with nearly 3 million travelers, significantly up from 2.04 million international passengers in 2022, the press release says.
“We are encouraged by the rebound in international service to new and existing destinations,” said Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which operates MSP.
In 2023, a few airlines added international flights to and from MSP including Delta resuming flights to Tokyo and Canadian airline WestJet launching flights to Edmonton and Saskatoon in Canada.
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More international flights are being added in 2024 including two airlines flying to Dublin, Ireland, more flights to destinations in Canada and a first-ever flight on Lufthansa between MSP and Frankfurt, Germany.
RELATED: Aer Lingus, Delta to start service between Dublin, MSP in 2024
MSP says they are projected to have 10% more daily departing seats in 2024 from 2023, the press release says.
MSP saw an increase of 11 nonstop MSP flights, from 145 places in 2022 to 156 in 2023. 2024 is projected to see that number grow to 161.
Additionally, takeoffs and landings of all aircraft crafts increased at MSP in 2023 from 2022, including for commercial airlines, which saw an average of 798 per day, up from 756 in 2022.
Finally, more people were able to fly at MSP in part because more flights used larger aircraft, upping the daily average of departing seats in 2023 by 12.2%, from 50,633 in 2022 to 56,823 in 2023.