When Rob Ratkowski was in his first year as the director of Glacier Park International Airport in 2017, the airport broke 40,000 passengers that July for the first time, prompting him to throw a party for his staff.

Fast-forward eight years and the airport this July saw a record-breaking 86,954 passengers, an 11.7% growth compared to the same peak month in 2024, and more than double the volume of travelers in less than a decade, according to Montana Department of Transportation’s aviation data.

“It’s a big increase,” Ratkowski said.

While aviation traffic data for August has not yet been released, Ratkowski said the latter half of the summer appeared to be just as busy at TSA checkpoints, even after tourism experts predicted Montana would see a drop in international travel.

“We were br

See Full Page