Hector International Airport

Hector International Airport (IATA: FAR, ICAO: KFAR, FAA LID: FAR) is a civil-military public airport three miles (5 km) northwest of Fargo, in Cass County, North Dakota, United States. The busiest airport in North Dakota, it is owned by the City of Fargo Municipal Airport Authority.^[4] Fargo Air National Guard Base is located adjacent to the airport.

Hector International Airport
2006 USGS orthophoto
IATA: FAR ICAO: KFAR FAA LID: FAR
Summary
Airport type	Public / military
Owner	Municipal Airport Authority of the City of Fargo
Operator	Municipal Airport Authority
Serves	Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota (Fargo–Moorhead)
Location	Fargo, North Dakota
Opened	1927 (1927)
Hub for	Corporate Air[1] Bemidji Airlines[2]
Elevation AMSL	901 ft / 275 m
Coordinates	46°55′14″N 096°48′56″W
Website	www.FargoAirport.com
Maps
FAA airport diagram
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 18/36 9,001 2,744 Concrete 9/27 6,302 1,921 Concrete 13/31 3,801 1,159 Concrete
Statistics (2024)
Total passengers 1,092,836 Aircraft operations 82,632 Based aircraft (2023) 217
Source: Hector International Airport[3][4][5]

The airport was named after Martin Hector, who first leased, and then donated the original 50 acres of land to the city.^[6] Customs service is available for arrivals from Canada and other countries. Hector International has no scheduled passenger airline flights out of the country but has its international title (like many other airports) because of this customs service.

The airport is home to Fargo Air National Guard Base and the Happy Hooligans of the 119th Wing (119 WG), a unit of the North Dakota Air National Guard that operates the MQ-9 Reaper.

The airport was the intended destination for the airplane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson on February 3, 1959. The airplane crashed shortly after takeoff from Mason City, Iowa, killing the three musicians and the pilot.

Facilities and aircraft

Interior of the terminal in 2024

Hector International Airport covers 2,500 acres (10 km²) and has three runways: 18/36 is 9,001 x 150 ft (2,744 x 46 m), 9/27 is 6,302 x 100 ft (1,921 x 30 m), and 13/31 is 3,801 x 75 ft (1,159 x 46 m).^[4][7] Hector International has the longest public runway in North Dakota and can receive Boeing 747s.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 92,980 aircraft operations, an average of 255 per day. In December 2021, there were 203 aircraft based at the airport: 124 single-engine, 52 multi-engine, 22 jet, and 5 helicopters.^[4]

The current terminal was built in 1986 and designed by Foss Associates with Thompson Consultants.^[8]

In 2008 the airport completed the passenger terminal expansion and update that had begun in October 2006. The $15.5 million project designed by TL Stroh Architects updated the terminal and added a fifth gate, an additional baggage claim and expanded the security checkpoint area. TSA PreCheck was added in 2014.^[9]

A large terminal expansion project began in 2024. The $156 million project will add four new gates on the east side of the existing building, bringing the terminal's total number of gates to nine, as well as renovate existing portions of the terminal.^[10] The project will also increase seating, add new post-security concession areas, and expand the facility's security checkpoint.^[11] The new gates are expected to open in 2026 with full project completion slated for 2027.^[10]

A 1,000 space parking garage is also under construction adjacent to the terminal. The garage is scheduled to open in August 2025 with a skyway connecting the terminal to the garage opening in 2026. The parking garage project is expected to cost $47 million.^[10]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations	Refs
Allegiant Air	Las Vegas, Nashville, Phoenix/Mesa Seasonal: Orlando/Sanford,[12] St. Petersburg/Clearwater[13]	[12][14][15]
American Eagle	Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth Seasonal: Phoenix–Sky Harbor[16]	[17]
Delta Air Lines	Minneapolis/St. Paul	[18]
Delta Connection	Atlanta (begins December 20, 2025),[19] Minneapolis/St. Paul	[15][18]
Frontier Airlines	Denver Seasonal: Orlando[20]	[21]
United Airlines	Denver[22]	[23]
United Express	Chicago–O'Hare, Denver	[23]

Passenger destinations map
Fargo Chicago–O'Hare Orlando/Sanford Minneapolis/St. Paul Las Vegas Phoenix/Mesa Denver Dallas/Fort Worth Phoenix–Sky Harbor Nashville St. Petersburg/Clearwater Orlando Atlanta All destinations from Hector International Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations	Refs
Alpine Air Express	Bismarck, Dickinson,[24] Minot, Sioux Falls, Thief River Falls, Williston[25]	[26]
Bemidji Airlines	Bismarck,[27] Devils Lake[28]
FedEx Express	Memphis	[29]
FedEx Feeder operated by Corporate Air	Bemidji,[30] Bismarck,[31] Dickinson,[32] Minot,[33] Williston,[34] Winnipeg[35]
UPS Airlines	Louisville	[36]

Cargo destinations map
Fargo BIS FSD TVF DVL DIK MOT XWA MEM BJI SDF YWG All cargo destinations from Hector International Airport   = Year-round destination   = Seasonal destination   = Future destination

Statistics

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from FAR
(May 2024 – April 2025)^[37]

Rank	City	Passengers	Carriers
1	Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN	170,810	Delta
2	Denver, CO	110,020	Frontier, United
3	Chicago–O'Hare, IL	101,730	American, United
4	Dallas/Fort Worth, TX	69,420	American
5	Phoenix-Mesa, AZ	59,010	Allegiant
6	Las Vegas, NV	17,940	Allegiant
7	Nashville, TN	14,720	Allegiant
8	Orlando–Sanford, FL	11,100	Allegiant
9	Phoenix–Sky Harbor, AZ	9,340	American
10	St. Petersburg/Clearwater, FL	8,790	Allegiant

Annual traffic

Annual passenger traffic at Fargo Airport
1998–present^[38]

Year	Passengers	Year	Passengers	Year	Passengers
1997	406,912	2007	599,168	2017	787,927
1998	384,205	2008	648,137	2018	843,582
1999	445,744	2009	697,810	2019	930,409
2000	465,636	2010	724,941	2020	478,604
2001	434,332	2011	699,549	2021	796,675
2002	484,068	2012	728,799	2022	908,075
2003	508,534	2013	797,125	2023	1,032,497
2004	506,650	2014	894,426	2024	1,092,836
2005	549,209	2015	858,982
2006	609,731	2016	789,182

Commercial airline market share

Airline market share
(May 2024 – April 2025)^[38]

Rank	Airline	Passengers	Share
1	SkyWest Airlines	310,000	27.02%
2	Envoy Air	238,000	20.69%
3	Allegiant Airlines	224,000	19.51%
4	Delta Air Lines	205,000	17.84%
5	Frontier Airlines	71,760	6.25%
	Other Airlines	99,960	8.70%

Ground transportation

As of 2022, there is no public transit service to Hector International Airport. The closest MATBUS bus stop is located over a mile away.

Climate

Hector International Airport Climate chart (explanation) J F M A M J J A S O N D     24     −13 −16     33     −8 −15     27     0 −10     85     18 −1     114     26 5     140     28 14     65     30 18     59     27 17     57     24 12     57     15 1     14     5 −4     30     −11 −13 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: [39] Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.9     9 3     1.3     18 5     1.1     32 14     3.3     64 30     4.5     79 41     5.5     82 57     2.6     86 64     2.3     81 63     2.2     75 54     2.2     59 34     0.6     41 25     1.2     12 9 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

UFO encounter

On October 1, 1948, the Gorman dogfight, a widely publicized UFO encounter, took place over Hector International Airport.^[40]

See also

• Fargo Air Museum