Travelers Return
In the airport industry, 2022 will be remembered as the year travelers returned to the air as concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic eased.
Passengers and Operations
More than 31.2 million people passed through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) in 2022 representing a year-over-year increase of 24%. It is also 79% of the number of passengers who passed through MSP in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic drastically impacted air travel at MSP.
The number of aircraft operations at MSP Airport increased by 2% over 2021 as airlines flew larger aircraft—which offer more seats per flight—to meet traveler demand.
MSP Airport offers direct flights to 145 destinations worldwide, an increase of 6% over 2021. Much of the reason for MSP’s strong uptick is its two major airline partners: Delta Air Lines and Sun Country Airlines. MSP is Delta’s second-largest hub. And Sun Country, Minnesota’s hometown airline, has increased air service offerings by more than 60% over the past five years. Both airlines added new direct routes from MSP in 2022, along with Air Canada and Allegiant.
12 New Direct Flight Destinations Added in 2022
Notable resumed routes in 2022 include direct service to Seoul, South Korea, and London, England by Delta and to Frankfurt, Germany by Condor Airlines.
Notable new service routes include the Grand Cayman Islands by Sun Country and Montreal, Canada by Air Canada.
And there are many more to come next year. Twenty new direct destinations were announced in 2022 that will launch in 2023, three of which have never been offered out of MSP – Melbourne, Florida; Atlantic City, New Jersey; and Wilmington, North Carolina; all by Sun Country Airlines.
