Ramstad: MSP Airport, dominant carrier Delta are nearly at full strength four years after pandemic

Bastian said direct service to Scandinavia is also a possibility for its Minneapolis-St. Paul hub. He suggested it may come from code-share partner Air France, which operates at MSP and earlier this month took a sizable stake in SAS AB, the flagship carrier of the Scandinavian countries.

The one market that still looks bleak is China. Delta had just started direct flights from MSP to Shanghai a few months before the pandemic. Bastian said flight loads between China and the U.S. are only around one-third of their pre-pandemic level. The problem, he said, had nothing to do with governments in the two countries or restrictions.

“There’s just not demand,” Bastian said, citing diminished interest by tourists in both countries toward the other. “We talk about geopolitical matters that affect world peace and understanding. Well, you’ve got a real one right now. We’re real worried about that. If we don’t start getting closer with each other, we’re going to grow further apart.”

Asked later about the prospect of restarting service to China from MSP, Bastian said, “We will add flights as demand warrants, and right now the demand is very limited to China.”

Both MSP and Delta won major awards this year for on-time performance. Bastian credited the airline’s award, in part, to MSP’s ground crews that keep the airport running in winter.

“The operational efficiency of this airport has always been a wonder,” Bastian said. “As someone who lives in the South, we see the snow coming and we run and hide. You run out and play and enjoy it.”