The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) general aviation system in Minnesota's Twin Cities supported a total of 342,136 aircraft operations in 2022. The newly released year-end operations data accounts for all take offs and landings at the six Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area general aviation airports. Operations declined just under three per cent compared to the 352,195 total operations in 2021.

“General aviation activity in the Twin Cities has grown through the pandemic, even when commercial passenger travel dipped. Operations at our reliever airports last year were seven per cent greater than in 2019,” says MAC CEO Brian Ryks. “We are continuing to invest in the MAC's reliever system to meet projected demand and support our flying community and the many aviation businesses that operate at our airports.”

The MAC's general aviation airports support personal, recreational and business aviation users. They are referred to as reliever airports within the Twin Cities metropolitan area because they relieve congestion that would otherwise impact Minneapolis-Saint Paul International airport, which had 310,235 total operations in 2022, a 24 per cent increase over 2021.

“There is significant momentum at our reliever airports with our commercial partners, namely flight training schools, charter operators, maintenance companies fixed base operators and avionics firms, all reporting they are busier than ever,” says MAC director of reliever airports Joe Harris. “The demand we are seeing at our relievers includes wait lists for flight training and aircraft maintenance activity, both of which are already scheduling out to late 2023.”

Three reliever airports increased operations in the last year: St Paul Downtown, Crystal in northwest Minneapolis and Airlake in Lakeville, Minnesota. St Paul Downtown airport is the MAC's primary business-focused general aviation airport, logging 41,592 operations for a 4.9 per cent increase over 2021. Corporate jet activity continued to rebound in 2022, especially with fewer pandemic restrictions to international travel.

Flying Cloud airport in Eden Prairie is the busiest reliever in the MAC system. In 2022, it had 122,281 total operations, a decline of seven per cent over 131,593 the year before.

In the past five years, the MAC has invested more than $50 million to provide a safe, efficient and modern reliever airport system. One of the latest projects was the completion of a new 3,500 ft runway at Lake Elmo airport that opened to air traffic in July 2022. It is 650 ft longer than the previous runway, which will be converted to a taxiway later this year. Improved instrument approaches will also be implemented this year at Lake Elmo as part of the multi-year project to improve airfield infrastructure and provide safer operations.

The MAC's reliever airport system generates an estimated $756 million annually for the area economy. It also supports more than 3,600 jobs and accommodates 850 hangar buildings for nearly 1,300 aircraft.