Travel levels at MSP not expected to bounce back until 2024
Travelers move through security lines at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in November 2020. (FOX 9)
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - Traveling took a hit this year amid the pandemic, and officials expect travel levels at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport won't fully bounce back until 2024.
The projection comes from the latest COVID-19 financial update, which was presented at Monday's Metropolitan Airport Commission board meeting.
The report states MSP had 19,783,000 enplaned passengers in 2019. Current estimates for 2020, show that number fell by 62 percent. While projections show the amount of enplaned passengers will steadily increase in the coming years, it won't be until 2024 that projections reach the pre-pandemic total.
MSP TSA security checkpoint data shows activity plummeted in March with the onset of the pandemic. While the amount of travelers has increased, numbers are still well below 2019 levels.