Casper city and airport show signs of increased travel and tourism

Airports in Laramie and Gillette are reporting increasingly busier years, but Casper/Natrona County International Airport is experiencing a historical milestone. This summer, it saw a nearly 30 percent increase in the number of passengers getting on aircraft over last year. That marks the busiest summer since 1983.

Airport Director Glenn Januska says it’s the first time they’re back to pre-Covid numbers.

“We’re actually doing better. 2019 was a great year. We’re actually tracking higher than that,” said Januska.

More recently, October numbers showed a 33 percent increase over October 2023. According to a press release from Casper/Natrona County International Airport, this is a sign that “[the Airport is] on track to exceed 100,000 passenger enplanements by the end of the year.”

The airport’s boom in business isn’t just from commercial passenger flights. Parking revenue, military flights and general aviation flights are tracking up, all to different degrees. Januska says the airport is still examining all these trends, but adds that a consistent increase in visitation could lead to an expansion of services.

“If it’s not something that we think is sustainable, maybe we’re not going to see this growth. Maybe it drops off. But as we continue to see positive trends, [we’re asking ourselves] what do we need to do for the people who are going to want to fly out of Casper?” said Januska.

While Januska says there are a lot of factors that go into these trends, one correlation appears to be Casper’s record revenue from lodging taxes. These are taxes paid by those staying in hotels, Air BnBs, and campgrounds within Casper.

According to the tourism board, this may be an indicator that events like the College National Finals Rodeo are driving visitation to the city and state. Officials with Visit Casper, the city’s tourism board, said that “all signs point to an increase in visitors to Natrona County year-over-year”.