Three US airports see over 20 percent jump in flight schedules

Home
»
Stories
»
2025
»
August

GLOBAL INDUSTRY NEWS

Qatar Airways In Talks To Buy 20% Of Virgin Australia - Airline Ratings

Boeing Will Buy Spirit AeroSystems For $4.7 Billion In Stock & Airbus Enters $559 Million Agreement For Its Parts

Bombardier Global Jet Production Stops in Toronto as Union Workers Strike | AIN

Justice Department To Offer Boeing a Plea Deal Related to Max Crashes

Global Industry News

Three US airports see over 20 percent jump in flight schedules

Policy

Dave Davis, Spirit’s President and Chief Executive Officer | Spirit Airlines

By Sky Industry News

Aug 25, 2025

More than 600 airports in the United States are scheduled to have passenger flights between September and December, according to an analysis of Cirium Diio data. The 125 busiest airports in the country will collectively see over 22,600 daily departures during this period, which is a 2.6% increase compared to last year. This equates to an additional 588 daily departures.

Out of these major airports, 94 have increased their number of flights compared to the same four months last year, while 31 have seen a reduction in services. Oakland International Airport experienced the largest decline with a 12.2% drop, losing 14 daily departures. Burbank also saw an 8.3% decrease, largely due to Avelo Airlines closing its base there in December. Although Breeze Airways plans to begin service at Burbank, its first flight is not scheduled until March next year.

Three smaller airports—Bozeman (Montana), Chattanooga (Tennessee), and Wilmington (North Carolina)—have recorded notable growth, each increasing their scheduled flights by more than 20% year-on-year for the upcoming four-month period.

Get the Newsletter

Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Sky Industry News

By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

Chattanooga’s growth has been partly driven by Spirit Airlines’ entry into the market in June 2025 with three new routes: Fort Lauderdale, Newark, and Orlando. Other carriers at Chattanooga have also expanded operations: Allegiant increased its presence by starting Punta Gorda flights in February; Delta grew capacity on existing routes; and American Eagle reinstated twice-daily Chicago O’Hare service after previously operating it in 2019.

The average daily departures from September through December are as follows: Chattanooga with 32 (+29%), Bozeman with 33 (+22.5%), and Wilmington with 36 (+22%).

Bozeman leads Montana airports for scheduled flights during this period. Both Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines have significantly increased their operations there—Delta by resuming Detroit service and adding Seattle flights that now operate three times daily; Alaska has doubled Portland frequencies and grown all four of its routes from Bozeman.

American Airlines has also expanded at Bozeman by reintroducing Charlotte service and boosting Chicago O’Hare flights to twice daily using various aircraft types.

Wilmington stands out among North Carolina’s airports for its rapid growth. The addition of Breeze Airways in February and JetBlue two months later contributed substantially to Wilmington’s rise in activity. Avelo Airlines has doubled its offerings there since beginning service in 2022, making Wilmington its second most-served airport.

The airport’s destination list grew from 19 last year to 30 this year for the same period, including new cities such as Akron/Canton; Detroit; Houston Hobby; Long Island; Manchester; Nashville; Providence; Punta Cana (its first international route); Rochester (NY); Washington Dulles; and West Palm Beach—served mainly by Avelo or Breeze Airways. The Punta Cana route will launch on December 24 as a weekly flight operated by Avelo using a Boeing 737-700.

Avelo Airlines was founded in 2018 as an ultra-low-cost carrier and currently operates hubs at several U.S. airports including Hollywood Burbank Airport, Tweed New Haven Airport, Harry Reid International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Raleigh–Durham International Airport, and Wilmington Airport.