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The number of flights being booked at the Dane County Regional Airport is taking off this year and more expansion projects are in the works, according to Mark Papko, the airport’s executive director.
The airport’s passenger count is up 8% from last year, putting it on track to break yet another record. The airport logged nearly 2.5 million passengers last year, setting its current record for most travelers in a year.
“We are busier than ever and have more planes than ever,” Papko said.
The county-run airport on Madison’s north side now leads the nation as the fastest-growing small-hub airport this year, Papko added.
Papko said he expects the last two months of 2026 — notably some of the airport’s busiest in the year for holiday travel — to continue the record-breaking pace. In light of this seasonal uptick, he recommended travelers plan ahead and build extra time in their schedules to arrive earlier than usual.
“Some of our travelers that are really experienced like to get here 60 minutes before their flight,” he said. “I encourage them to get here that extra 30 minutes (early) to get here 90 minutes before (their) flight.”
The Dane County airport’s growth comes amid major travel upheaval across the country. Surging jet fuel prices following the U.S.-Israel war on Iran have pressured major airlines to shut down, reduce flight options and raise passenger ticket prices.
To help accommodate more travelers, Papko and his team are planning a variety of expansion and improvement projects. First to arrive at the airport will be 700 additional parking stalls in the economy parking lot, which charges $10 per day.
“With record levels of passengers, that means record levels of parking,” Papko said.
Travelers may see parking lot construction begin as soon as next spring and continue to the end of next year.
The airport added a direct flight from Madison to Fort Myers, Florida, through Breeze Airways that began Oct. 21. The route will fly on Wednesdays and Saturdays, starting at $79 one way, according to Breeze. Fort Myers joined Raleigh and Boston to become the third city to earn a nonstop flight to and from Madison this year.
While Papko declined to name other planned nonstop flight additions to the Dane County airport, he hinted that more West Coast stops may be up next.
“Part of our airport’s goals and strategic plan is to improve our westward connectivity,” Papko said.
While the airport has excelled in recent years to extend its East Coast coverage, he said, it still has much room to grow to better serve passengers looking to fly west.
“It’s really difficult to fly west, and oftentimes you’re stuck connecting or you’re stuck flying east to go fly back west,” Papko said.
Papko and his team are in the early stages of a few longer-term ventures, like pursuing an international designation for Madison’s airport and modernizing terminals. The latter became an important goal because the airport’s terminal checkpoints are nearing capacity. Papko said he hopes to install new technology to help with exit lanes and adopt an inline baggage screening system to improve queue management.
He anticipates some of these changes starting late next year and continuing through 2029.
Papko’s also been working closely with state transportation officials on a runway extension project that would relocate part of U.S. 51 east of the airport and add 800 feet to the second-longest of the airport’s three runways. In October, the airport completed a separate $5 million runway repair project that patched 1,100 locations on one of the runways.
Replacing Madison’s air traffic control tower and filling a shortage in aircraft hangars are in Papko’s vision for the future, as well.
“The future is not just one project. It’s a couple different ones,” Papko said.
These efforts could be part of the airport’s new master planthe first since 1993. Launched Sept. 10, Papko and his team plan to spend the next two to three years developing a roadmap for improving the airport over the next 20 to 30 years.
The Federal Aviation Administration recommends updating airport master plans every 10 to 15 years. The FAA is covering 90% of the total $5.8 million cost required to complete the master plan for Dane County’s airport, according to county officials.
For Papko, the opportunity to lead Madison’s airport has been especially fulfilling. Though he’s a native of Winnipeg, Canada, Papko said he has a special connection to Madison. It was the first stop on his journey in aviation as a new college graduate.
Papko started his career at the Dane County airport as an intern after graduating from St. Cloud State University in 2012. He returned as the airport’s top administrator over a decade later last July, excited to “lead an organization that has so much potential.”
“It was really a homecoming,” Papko said. “I always had a soft spot for Madison.”
Source: captimes.com
