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Wyoming Airports

How Many Airports are There in Wyoming?

While Wyoming is popular among U.S. campers and nature lovers, aviation is not the state’s major concern. Each year, about 600,000 people use the services of Wyoming airports. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) statistics shows that the state has about 40 publicly accessed airports, nine of which offer commercial service. All airports in WY are classified either as small hubs or nonhub ones. The busiest air hub in WY, Jackson Hole Airport (JAC), serves from 500,000 to 900,000 passengers annually. The airport has good timing indexes matching the average ones across the USA (80.37% for arrival flights and 81.62% for departures). The smallest airport in WY is Central Wyoming Regional Airport (RIW), with only one operating carrier and passenger traffic of roughly 12,000 per year.

Many airports in WY have direct nonstop flights to big U.S. hubs. There are a few International airports in Wyoming. In fact, there’s only one, Casper/Natrona County International Airport (CPR), with a passenger count of 98,000 passengers in 2019.

5 Major Airports in Wyoming

  • 1. Jackson Hole Airport (JAC). In 2020, JAC served as the air gates to and from WY for 562.878 travelers. Four major U.S. carriers handle their flights here. Currently, aircraft make nonstop flights from JAC to 16 US destinations.
  • 2. Casper/Natrona County International Airport (CPR). Being the second busiest among the airports in Wyoming, CPR welcomed 98,235 air travelers in 2019. Presently, two airlines handle their aircraft at the airport serving flights to Denver and Salt Lake City.
  • 3. Yellowstone Regional Airport (COD). In 2019, COD served 81,966 air travelers and there were three direct destinations (Chicago, Salt Lake City, and Denver). As of 2021, two airlines work at COD, with five flights a day (Denver and Salt Lake City).
  • 4. Northeast Wyoming Regional Airport (GCC). 30,657 passengers entered and left through GCC gateways in 2019. As of 2021, there’s a single carrier (United Airlines) with scheduled flights GCC—Denver. The airport implements several improvements to attract travelers (e.g., free parking).
  • 5. Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport (RKS). Unlike other small Wyoming airports, RKS has a busy schedule with ten destinations. The passenger count of the airport was 21,860 in 2019. The only airline handling the flights is United Airlines.

Airlines

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the commercial airports in Wyoming have seen a decrease in demand and, subsequently, operating airlines. As of 2021, you can board the aircraft of the following carriers to fly to or from WY:

  • United Airlines (at all WY airports)
  • Southwest (at major WY airports)
  • Frontier (at some WY airports)

Most Popular Destinations in Wyoming

While Wyoming has an international airport, the searches for WY-based destinations are mostly done from the US. The list of Wyoming most frequently searched destinations is as follows:

  • Jackson. Flights to JAC are looked for in about 70% of requests.
  • West Yellowstone—7%
  • Casper—6%
  • Cody—6%
  • Laramie—6%

History of Wyoming Aviation

Wyoming, like many other U.S. states, experienced the boost of aviation development during World War II. The B-17 bomber planes were rebuilt at Cheyenne before being released into the sky—and onto the battlefield. A whole modification center was built, where planes were disassembled, repaired, and remodeled, and then reassembled in a matter of hours. Still, Cheyenne airfield had been used for military purposes long before—in 1919, it was chosen as a main stop for military planes crossing the U.S. territory from one coast to the other.

Cheyenne was also the most famous among airports in Wyoming due to Boeing Air Transport Company’s use of it as a key airfield for postal deliveries. The city also saw many aviation innovations during the 1930s, such as the placement of oil cooling tanks in the aircraft’s engine compartment.

After the end of WWII, the impact of Cheyenne decreased considerably. However, the city still has its airport, Cheyenne Regional Airport, used for civil and military purposes.