South Bend International Airport Surpasses 1.1 Million Passengers in 2025

South Bend International Airport set a new annual passenger record in 2025, with 1,111,002 ticketed airline passengers traveling through the airport, surpassing the previous high of 991,457 set in 1997.

The milestone caps five straight years of passenger growth at SBN and represents a 23.5% increase over 2024. Airport officials said 41 of the 50 busiest days in the airport’s history occurred in 2025, including seven days that ranked among the top 10 all time. For the first time, two individual months exceeded 50,000 boardings, with 50,602 passengers in March and 51,339 in October.

Airport leadership attributed the growth to expanded air service and more travelers choosing to begin and end trips at SBN. New routes launched in 2025 included seasonal service to Southwest Florida International Airport on Breeze Airways, year-round service to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Allegiant Air, and daily service to O’Hare International Airport on American Airlines. United Airlines also increased its Chicago service from six to eight daily flights.

“We knew 2025 would be the airport’s first time serving over a million airline passengers,” said Mike Daigle, CEO and executive director of South Bend International Airport. “We did not anticipate that record to be over 1.1 million.”

The airport plans to mark the achievement with a series of community and terminal events from Feb. 9–13, including in-terminal activities and regional landmarks illuminated in blue.

South Bend International Airport offers nonstop service to 17 destinations and operates a multimodal terminal serving more than 1.5 million air and rail passengers annually.