South Bend International Airport set an all-time annual passenger record in 2025, with 1,111,002 ticketed airline passengers traveling through the airport.

The milestone surpasses the previous record of 991,457 passengers set in 1997 and reflects continued momentum at the airport, which has posted year-over-year passenger growth for the past five years.

Airport officials say the 2025 total represents a 23.5 percent increase over 2024, along with several additional benchmarks. Forty-one of the airport’s 50 busiest days on record occurred in 2025, including seven that ranked among the top ten busiest days ever. Every month of the year saw growth, and for the first time in airport history, two months exceeded 50,000 boarding passengers – March with 50,602 and October with 51,339.

The surge is attributed to more travelers choosing to begin and end business trips and vacations at SBN, along with expanded airline service. New routes launched in 2025 include seasonal flights to Fort Myers’ Southwest Florida International Airport on Breeze Airways, year-round service to Fort Lauderdale on Allegiant, and daily service to Chicago O’Hare on American Airlines. United Airlines also increased its Chicago O’Hare service from six to eight daily flights.

To mark the milestone, the airport will celebrate from February 9 through February 13 with community and on-site events. Activities include social media giveaways, surprise events inside the terminal, a curated SBN Spotify playlist, and blue lighting at the Morris Performing Arts Center and the South Bend River Lights on February 10 and 11. Additional details are available at flysbn.com/thanksamillion.

“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. Everyone has a choice, and this record year is a result of those choices.”