Passenger traffic at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport was up 5% in 2024, with more than 6.3 million passengers, the airport reported today

That’s the highest level of passenger traffic at the airport since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but still remains below pre-pandemic levels. The airport served nearly 6.9 million passengers in 2019.

The Republican National Convention, held in Milwaukee in July, provided a boost for the airport as several airlines added flights to accommodate convention attendees.

In an exclusive Q&A with BizTimes, Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport director Brian Dranzik recently discussed the airport’s performance and plans for improvements.

New nonstop routes added at Mitchell International in 2024 included Sun Country Airlines bringing back seasonal nonstop flights and increasing the frequency of those flights from weekly to daily through the spring break travel period. The airline also expanded its winter international offerings at Mitchell International with multiple flights per week to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

Southwest Airlines will add direct flights between Milwaukee and Austin, Texas in March, a destination not currently served by any airline operating here.

During the spring break season, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines are adding multiple flights per week to Tampa, Florida and Spirit will offer new service to Orlando and expanded winter and spring break service to Fort Lauderdale.