Pierre's Airport Tops 10,000 Passengers For Year

Pierre Regional Airport has topped 10,000 passengers for the year, allowing the facility to receive its $1 million in federal funding for airport improvement projects.

Some city officials were concerned earlier this year that the number may be hard to reach. But monthly boarding numbers for each of the past six months were close to or above 1,000 passengers.

City Commissioner Jamie Huizenga says the numbers show that the city's air service is moving in the right direction.

Nearly 1,300 passengers boarded at Pierre Regional in November.

Huizenga says the extra flights offered by Great Lakes Airlines to Minneapolis and Denver that started Saturday should help increase the December total.