DULUTH, MN (KDAL) – After a tough year due to the COVID pandemic, the Duluth International Airport is seeing passenger numbers starting to return to normal.
Traffic so far this year is at about 69 percent of 2019 which was the highest in the last decade.
However, commercial air service in Duluth and nationwide is facing an existing pilot shortage. Based on reports, its estimated that as many as ten percent of U-S pilots took early retirement during the pandemic.
Because of that shortage, through the rest of this month, United will operate just one flight per day from Duluth to Chicago but plan to resume two flights daily again in December.
On brighter notes, on December 17th Sun Country Airlines will begin direct service from Duluth to Ft. Meyers, Florida and Phoenix, Arizona and the airport has also announced a grant to secure direct service to and from Denver.
Airport officials say it is critical that the demand for existing air services continues out of Duluth including direct flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul from Delta.
