Jamestown airport to close to commercial traffic for two weeks in August
Commercial flights will stop at Jamestown Regional Airport Aug. 17-31, pushing travelers to Fargo, 96 miles away, and other hubs during the runway project.
Jamestown Regional Airport will close to commercial traffic from Aug. 17 through Aug. 31, forcing Stutsman County travelers to make alternate plans while a project is underway. The shutdown lands in the middle of the travel season for business trips, medical appointments, college travel and family visits that depend on quick access to commercial flights out of Jamestown.
The nearest substitute is Fargo’s Hector International Airport, about 96 miles from Jamestown. Online distance calculators put the drive at about 1 hour and 29 minutes to 1 hour and 54 minutes, depending on route, with an estimated fuel cost of $14.16 one way and $28.32 round trip. Bismarck Municipal Airport is farther, at about 102 miles by road, and Grand Forks International Airport is about 163 miles away, making Fargo the most practical backup for most travelers during the closure.
This is not the first time Jamestown’s commercial service has been interrupted by runway work. In April 2024, commercial flights were suspended for six weeks while the airport repaired the main runway, and Airport Director Katie Hemmer said the other runways were not large enough to handle commercial planes. During that closure, the airport stayed open for general aviation, including agriculture spray flights, and airlines were expected to contact ticketed passengers to help rebook or refund flights. The main runway later reopened after being closed for more than a month, and the airport completed a $4 million runway rehabilitation with a ribbon cutting in November 2024.
The work also has had measurable effects on traffic counts. Jamestown Sun later reported the airport fell short of 10,000 paid passenger boardings for 2024, with the runway closure cited as one factor. The North Dakota Aeronautics Commission has also noted that construction projects can affect airport traffic counts, which makes the August shutdown more than a scheduling nuisance for an airport that serves as one of Jamestown’s main links to the outside world.
That link remains federally backed through the Essential Air Service program. U.S. Sen. John Hoeven said the U.S. Department of Transportation selected SkyWest Airlines to continue serving Jamestown and Devils Lake for a three-year term from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027, with 12 round trips each week for each community. A Jan. 5, 2024, DOT order rejected replacement service proposals and asked for new ones, underscoring how dependent Jamestown is on keeping commercial air service in place while runway work continues.
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