Total operations grew nearly 4% across the six airports in the Twin Cities

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An aircraft on approach to land on Runway 32-14 at St. Paul Downtown Airport. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Airports Commission

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MINN —  2025 proved to be another strong year for general aviation airports operated by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC). New year-end data shows the MAC supported 387,302 operations (takeoffs or landings) at its six general aviation airports that operate in the Twin Cities, an increase of 3.9% compared to 2024.

“We’ve seen three straight years of growth at the MAC’s general aviation airports, demonstrating that our recent, robust investments are enhancing capacity, safety and efficiency for the flying community and related businesses,” said Brian Ryks, CEO of the MAC. “We’re confident demand will continue to support this growth trajectory for our general aviation airports well into 2026.”

The MAC-owned and operated general aviation airports, also known as reliever airports, are situated within 30 minutes of the downtown areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They support business aviation, flight training, recreational flying and aviation-related businesses while also helping relieve congestion at the MAC’s flagship commercial airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). That airport served more than 36 million passengers in 2025.

Flying Cloud Airport (FCM) in Eden Prairie remained the busiest general aviation airport in the MAC system, logging 150,738 operations, a 13.6% increase over 2024 (132,744). Crystal Airport (MIC) saw an increase of more than 6,000 operations in 2025, a nearly 15% year-over-year increase. St. Paul Downtown (STP) is the MAC’s primary business-focused general aviation airport. It logged 40,732 operations in 2025. That was a 4.1% decline from 2024.

The MAC recently prioritized STP for major safety, operational and facility improvements. Runway 14-32 — STP’s primary runway and the longest general aviation runway in the MAC’s system — was closed for much of summer 2025 for reconstruction. That was part of a larger $12.5 million airfield safety improvement project. During construction, major business tenants that required a longer runway temporarily relocated flights to other MAC airports.

Construction is also underway on a $19.9 million project for a new Customs and Border Protection (CBP) general aviation facility at STP. It will replace an extremely small existing CBP location within the STP administration building to better accommodate the processing of international general aviation flights and travelers.

The MAC also approved a long-term plan for FCM in 2025, which provides a high-level framework for future development projects and improvements over the next two decades within the existing airfield space. There are no proposed modifications to runway lengths or locations.

Highlights for the proposed FCM projects:

•          Emphasizing airfield ground operations with proposed additional taxiways that reduce runway crossings and improve safety and efficiency of taxiing aircraft
•          Addressing existing Federal Aviation Administration design standards, which include enhancing runway safety by installing Engineered Materials Arresting System beds on both ends of Runway 10R-28L
•          Developing a balanced approach to the 20-year hangar growth potential by including opportunities for both corporate and small aircraft uses

The MAC will complete environmental review processes and vote on separate budget actions to formally approve specific projects identified in the Flying Cloud plan before starting construction.

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About The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC)

The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) owns and operates one of the nation’s largest airport systems, including Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and six general aviation airports. The MAC’s airports connect the region to the world and showcase Minnesota’s extraordinary culture to millions of passengers from around the globe who arrive or depart through MAC airports each year. Though a public corporation of the state of Minnesota, the organization is not funded by income or property taxes. Instead, the MAC’s operations are funded by rents and fees generated by users of its airports. For more information, visit www.metroairports.org.