Hector International Airport - Municipal Airport Authority
04/16/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/16/2024 10:59
New Board Chair, Landline Updates & More: News From Hector Airport
New Board Chair, Landline Updates & More: News From Hector Airport
Posted April 16, 2024
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Meet Airport Authority Board Chair: Jim Kapitan Jim Kapitan was appointed to the position of municipal airport authority board chair for a one-year term in the beginning of 2024 after serving as a member for three years. His duties as the new board chair include conducting meetings, along with regular board member duties to ensure travelers can fly safely. Kapitan was interested in serving on the board due to his time in the North Dakota Air National Guard, the U.S. Air Force reserve and as a manager of the Fargo airport for 18 years. After that, he was elected to the Fargo Park Board for eight years and a Cass County commissioner for four years, and he is currently running for reelection for commissioner. Kapitan brings over 40 years of aviation experience to the airport authority board. Originally from Minnesota, Kapitan graduated from the North Dakota State College of Science and went on to serve a combined 38 years in the North Dakota Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force reserve. Kapitan attended North Dakota State University, graduating in 1987, while simultaneously working for the City of Fargo for over 42 years. He worked 18 years as the airport manager, 23 years as the city assessor and one year as the HR director. Now, Kapitan is still an active member in the community where he sits on the alumni foundation board for NDSCS. He is excited to see the new terminal expansion come to life this year and hopes to see travelers enjoy Hector International Airport even more. A Farewell to Board Member: Rick Engen Hector International Airport would like to send a big thank you to Rick Engen. Engen has been an Airport Authority board member for the past five years and has provided exemplary service to the airport. During his time on the board, he was involved with numerous construction projects (SRE Building, cargo area expansion, terminal expansion and parking garage) just to name some of the highlights. Engen started his time on the board in 2019 devoting many hours to the MAA's negotiations with the City of Fargo and eventual transition from the City and successful Memorandum of Understanding. His time on the board also involved navigating through the many months of the pandemic and providing valuable leadership during that dynamic time. Thank you, Rick, for your service! Expansion Updates The new passenger elevator is making great progress toward completion. The elevator, located on the ground level next to the ticket counters, should be ready to use this May. Construction of the terminal expansion will begin in early May 2024 and will take about three years to complete. The eastern expansion is projected to be completed in early 2026, and the existing terminal renovation is anticipated to be completed in early 2027. This expansion is funded by local, state and federal funds. It's no secret parking is one of the main concerns for travelers, especially during the harsh North Dakota winters. It's important to understand the terminal expansion project is focused on the terminal building itself and the areas on the airside of the building where planes arrive and depart. The airport authority has hired TL Stroh Architects to design a parking structure. McGough Construction and TF Powers have been hired as construction managers for the project. The preliminary plan is for a four-story parking structure with approximately 1,000 spaces. Construction is estimated to begin in early June of this year and take around 14 months to complete. For more details and updated renderings, visit: https://www.fargoairport.com/airport-authority/terminal-expansion/ . The Success of Landline Bus Company Hector International Airport first began working with Landline in the summer of 2022. Landline is a premium airport shuttle service that offers easy, affordable travel with first-class amenities. Since the start of the partnership, ridership to date has been very popular, and many of the bus trips run full. Load factors continue to get better and better as more Fargo-Moorhead travelers learn about and use the service. Travelers can enjoy perks like free Wi-Fi, A/C and comfortable seats with plenty of legroom on every Landline vehicle. In 2023, Landline added a new stop in Grand Forks at the University of North Dakota, to help those traveling to Hector International Airport or Minneapolis-St. Paul. Landline vehicles pick up travelers at Hector Airport and safely transport them to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to catch a Sun Country flight. To learn more about this type of travel or to book a trip, visit our website. Quarter One ArtWORKS Installation: Hope Thier The latest ArtWORKS installation is by artist Hope Thier. The paintings in this exhibit are whimsical - dinosaurs in bowties and close-up rooster portraits. They reflect the artist's ability to be swept away into her own imagination. While fanciful, the paintings reflect a strong painterly skill and attention to detail. Raised in Moorhead, Minnesota, Thier received her Master of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts from Minnesota State University-Mankato. As an award-winning artist, she has exhibited around the Midwest and on the West Coast. Thier has taught at Minnesota State University-Mankato, served as program director for the Arts by the River festival by the Twin Rivers Council for the Arts, and was an art educator/assistant director at the Blanden Memorial Art Museum for five years. For more information about Thier's work visit her website. For more information about the ArtWORKS at the airport visit: https://www.fargoairport.com/at-the-airport/artworks/ Terminal Tidbits Prebooking Parking Prebook your parking stay for a convenient travel experience. We have four parking areas available to use: short-term, long-term, and west and east economy lots. All of these lots offer prebooked parking and a way to save when you reserve in advance. For more information visit our parking website. 2024 Honor Flight Veterans Honor Flight of ND/MN is an effort to send the area's war veterans, free of charge, to Washington, D.C., to see their memorials. The first Veterans Honor Flight of this year will be May 19-21. This will be the 15th trip for the ND/MN organization. We'd love for you to join the event. Mark your calendar! Lost and Found If you think you might have left an item in the passenger terminal, lost and found is located in the airport administration office located on the second floor next to the gift shop. Complete this form with a description of the lost item, where it may have been left and your contact information. The email will be forwarded to the airlines, restaurant and TSA. You will be contacted if the item is found. Share Your Ideas What airport topics would you like to learn about in our next newsletter? Let us know: https://www.fargoairport.com/newsletterfeedback/ Q1 Monthly Statistics January Hector International Airport's airline passenger traffic in January showed a decrease when compared to the same month in 2023. In January 2024, passenger enplanements were 42,726. This is a decrease of 2% when compared to January 2023 passenger enplanements of 43,705. The total passenger count for the month was 85,513, which is up 10% over the same periThe total passenger count for the month was 83,053, which is down 3% over the same period last year. There were 522 air carrier departures with an average of 92 seats per flight in January and an average of 2,679 total daily passengers. February Our February airline passenger traffic showed an increase when compared to the same month in 2023. In February 2024, passenger enplanements were 43,691. This is an increase of 4% when compared to February 2023 passenger enplanements of 42,028. Frontier Airlines set its Fargo all-time monthly enplanement record. Frontier had flights to both Denver and Orlando-MCO, utilizing Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. The total passenger count for the month was 86,074, which is up 4% over the same period last year. There were 516 air carrier departures with an average of 98 seats per flight in February and an average of 2,968 total daily passengers. March Airline passenger traffic in March showed a decrease when compared to the same month in 2023. In March 2024, the passenger enplanements were 44,414. This is a decrease of 7% when compared to the March 2023 passenger enplanements of 48,032. The total passenger count for the month was 91,366, which is down 7% over the same period last year. There were 558 air carrier departures with an average of 97 seats per flight in March and an average of 2,947 total daily passengers. Shawn A. Dobberstein, AAE Executive Director Hector International Airport 701-241-1501 |