It’s been 10 years since the Branson Airport opened its doors providing air service and general aviation in the Ozarks.
Branson Airport opened in the middle of one of the biggest economic down turns in history.
The build took only 22 months and complete and was complete on May 9, 2009.
Branson Airport has had commercial air service each it has been in operation.
The airport has over 1.2 million passengers and has contributed $285 million in economic benefit to the region.
(Information provided by Branson Airport)
Reflections on the past ten years begin with the first shovel of dirt being turned over, which led to the largest earth-moving project in Missouri (12 million cubic yards of dirt and rock moved). Finally, to make sure the airport felt right at home in the Ozarks, reclaimed Missouri barn wood from as far back as 1871 was used to finish off the welcoming atmosphere. In all, the build took only 22 months and was completed on May 9, 2009.
Branson Airport opened in the middle of one of the biggest economic down turns in history, amid record high jet fuel prices and unprecedented airline consolidations, which led to service reductions, hitting smaller airports the hardest. Despite these challenges, Branson Airport has had commercial air service each year it has been in operation. Seven of the ten years the airport has been served by major national airlines and five of the ten years the service has been year-round.
Now, 10 years later, a different type of statistic comes to mind from this Herculean effort on top of the mountains of Southwest Missouri. The airport has served over 1.2 million airline passengers, handles hundreds of aircraft operations weekly, has contributed $285 million in economic benefit to the region to date, hosts Discovery Flights each year (1,000 to date) for area students, many their first time on an airplane, and has a perfect airport safety record.
“We have had both cheers and tears over our 10 years. Now, with a healthy airline industry and a stronger and more robust destination than ever, Branson Airport is seeing a resurgence in air service,” commented Jeff Bourk, Executive Director of the airport. “We love this community and the hardworking business leaders who grow our destination. The airport team has believed in the same vision for 10 years, that Branson deserves low-cost air service, and we are committed to making that happen. We look forward to what the next decade will bring.”
Frontier Airlines returned in 2018 after a brief hiatus. In 2019 the carrier added seats to market by more than 300% with two new nonstop destinations and fares starting at $29.
