“We are cautiously proceeding,” he said. “Basically, what we're doing at this point is an analysis, a pro forma, to determine whether a second airline service to Denver makes economic sense.”
The Missoula airport already offers a flight to Denver through United Airlines, Jensen pointed out. While the airport encourages competition, it doesn't want to see two airlines competing themselves out of business. Before it extends a formal invitation to Frontier, it must determine whether the number of passengers demanding service to Denver warrants the presence of a second company, Jensen said.
Missoula International Airport has shown steady growth in recent years and is one of the only airports in Montana to see growth in the number of “enplanements” - the number of passengers deplaning in Missoula.
Last year the airport counted 268,000 enplanements. This
year that number should increase by about 1.2 percent, for an end-of-year total of more than 270,000, Jensen said.
The airport is also wrapping up a number of remodeling and building projects, including a terminal expansion it plans to unveil in the new year.
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