The Billings Logan International Airport

Expansions keep pace with growing air traffic

Airlines offer more routes and flights

Serving as a gateway to a thriving and beautiful region, Billings Logan International Airport represents a 2,400-acre commercial, cargo, and general aviation airport, and eastern Montana’s only commercial service airport while the City of Billings serves as an important, multi-state hub for the region’s agricultural, petroleum, transportation, medical, financial, educational, and tourist sectors. Billings Logan International has three asphalt runways: Primary Runway 10L/28R has a length of 10,518 feet and a width of 150 feet; Runway 10R/28L, at 3,801 X 75 feet, is a parallel runway for single engine and light piston aircraft; and a crosswind runway, Runway 07/25, measures 5,501 X 75 feet.

Billings Logan International’s  commercial carriers include: Alaska, Allegiant, American, Cape Air, Delta, Sun Country, Frontier, and United Airlines, plus Horizon Air, a regional commuter airline owned by Alaska Airlines. Freight carriers include: FedEx, UPS, Alpine Air Express, and Richland Aviation. About 150 GA aircraft also call the airport home. Its full-service FBO (Fixed Base Operator) is Edwards Jet Center and Beacon Air Group. The airport has 55 employees and almost 2,000 more people work on airport grounds in various aeronautical and non-aeronautic businesses.

A new Director and a terminal update

In 2023, Jeff Roach became Billings Logan International Airport’s  new Director of Aviation and Transit, having been appointed to the position after the retirement of former Director, Kevin Ploehn, and who brings to the job 30-plus years of experience in transportation, aviation, and airport management. 2023 also marked the final year of a $60 million airside terminal renovation and expansion project, which, now complete, brings the terminal to 220,000 square feet of available space, with a total of eight jet bridge gates and one ground loading gate, an expanded concession area, and updated carpeting and rest rooms.

The dynamic airport has an annual operating budget of about $10 million and a capital budget about twice that. But unlike many municipally-owned airports, it receives neither local nor state tax dollars for its operations and maintenance. “However, with the revenue that we’ve generated and the grants that we received through the federal Airport Improvement Program (AIP) – terminal projects are AIP-eligible — we were able to complete the $60 million airside terminal redevelopment and expansion project with virtually no debt service,” Roach explains. “So, we’re coming out of this $60 million project with no mortgage.”

More capital improvements

This year, the airport has already finished two major airfield projects: a million dollar service road rehabilitation and a terminal apron reconstruction. “Those were completed and we have begun our FY-’25 summer seasonal projects,” Roach notes. “We started an air cargo pad project, which is about a $7.5 million project to expand our air cargo operating area to include a fifth pad. We currently have four pads with UPS taking two of those pads and FedEx the other two. We needed room for expansion, and so this fifth cargo pad project, which is being completed by Knife River Construction, will allow us to offer additional space for another air cargo carrier to operate here at BIL. Next summer, we have programmed the resurfacing and extension of our crosswind runway, 72/5. It will be extended by a few hundred feet on each end and the surface will be rehabilitated. We anticipate that it will be around a $10-12 million project.”

Next year, Billings Logan International Airport will begin design work on the next part of its terminal reconstruction. “We’ll design the front of the terminal,” Roach shares. “We’re looking at ticket counters, baggage claim, and our terminal front face. We’ll also look at the needs of some of our other operations like rental car counters and other businesses that operate in the landside of the terminal. That front half of the terminal was last updated in the 1990s, so it definitely needs an update and an expansion to meet the needs of our expanding passenger numbers.”

Looking ahead, Roach adds that in 2026, the airport will be rehabilitating one of its major taxiways and its stormwater holding system. “We’re always working on improving our infrastructure,” he affirms. “In addition, we own and operate a number of buildings in the airport that we lease out to aeronautical and non-aeronautical tenants, and there’s always work going on associated with those buildings.”

Moving passengers and freight

Regarding those expanding passenger numbers, Roach reports that last year, the airport served 840,000 passengers. “While that’s still below our 2019 (pre-pandemic) peak, we are continuing to increase our passengers served, and we’re on track to exceed 900,000 passengers in calendar year 2024. That’s largely due, not only to the uptick in the demand for travel, but also to the additional opportunities that our airline partners have come on board to provide.”

Roach outlines some of those travel opportunities: “In May, United added a 5^th daily flight to Denver; that will be on a seasonable basis. It’s the most that United ever served Denver on a daily basis; typically they dropped to three a week during the winter season (ramped up at the holidays), but in the past, we’ve seen four a day during the summer. This year we have five a day during the summer.”

“Allegiant added a new service to LAX (Los Angeles International). That’s a seasonal – twice a week, which we began on May 16^th. Alaska Airlines brought back their Portland service – not on a seasonable basis. Now it’s on a daily, year-round basis. That also started on May 16^th.  And we’re happy to announce that we have a new carrier that started with us this summer season and that is Sun Country with a Billings/Minneapolis-St. Paul route twice a week, which began on June 19^th and will run through the end of August. That’s brought our available seats from about 1.2 million seats a year ago to 1.6 million available seats out of our market this year.”

Roach notes that the airport also continues to be the busiest freight airport in Montana, “In 2023, we served over 77 million pounds of air freight through Billings that is distributed throughout the multi-state region that we serve.”

“In 2022, we were the 63^rd busiest air freight operation airport in the nation. We are looking forward to seeing what the calendar year 2023 numbers are going to be. Those should come out sometime in August. We’re hoping that we’ll continue to rise up in the ranking in air freight operations.”

The Billings airport, just minutes from downtown, has the best location of any regional airport I have been to.

Business Development

“We do have land available and aeronautical and non-aeronautical lease areas available — some with developed utilities and some that are currently undeveloped,” says Roach. “And to that end, we are working with the Chamber of Commerce and with Big Sky Economic Development here in Billings to promote our business and commercial lease areas.” Big Sky Economic Development (BSED) is a public-private partnership whose mission is to sustain and grow Yellowstone County’s vibrant economy and outstanding quality of life, by providing leadership and resources for business creation, expansion, retention, new business recruitment, and community development.

A new tenant at Billings is Beacon Air Group, the airport’s second full service FBO, offering aircraft fuel and maintenance, hangar space, charter brokerage, pilot services, and flight instruction. “They built their facility, which consists of two hangars and office space, but they’re also building three large and five small hangars that will be either leased or sold,” Roach relates. “So, they’re doing a significant construction effort as part of their business operation at the airport. Beacon Air Group is in an area on the west end of the airport where we have available space for future commercial/aeronautical operations and development.”

Aviation education and presentation

In addition to Beacon Air, there are two other entities that provide aviation training at Billings: Ridgeline Aviation offers flight training to new pilots, and Rocky Mountain College in Billings offers a BS degree in aeronautical science (professional pilot) and one in aviation management. The AABI (Aviation Accreditation Board International) accredited school currently has more than 50 students in its flight training program, according to Roach.

The airport, itself, offers tours to local school children during the school year, and during the summer, to area summer camps. “They learn about future job opportunities and careers related to the aviation industry,” says Roach. “It’s very well received here in our community.”

Last year, Billings hosted the Yellowstone International Air Show which had over 30,000 spectators who came to see the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, and other aerial performances. “We’re looking at doing another air show in 2026,” Roach proffers.

“It has been 20 years since the last major air show at Billings, and we hope there will continue to be air shows on a more regular basis.”

The Master Plan

Looking ahead, Roach reveals that the airport has initiated its Master Plan update, a 20-year look at future infrastructure needs that will help determine the airport’s ongoing capital improvement programs and attendant funding requirements. “The last airport Master Plan was updated 12 years ago,” he notes. “So, it is definitely time to take another look at what our airport should, and can be, in the next 20 years.”

AT A GLANCE

The Billings Logan International Airport

WHAT: A commercial service, cargo, and general aviation airport

WHERE: Billings, Montana

WEBSITE: www.flybillings.com