Traverse City News and Events

Cherry Capital Airport Smashed Its Yearly Passenger Record By 19 Percent

By Craig Manning | Jan. 21, 2026

It’s official: Traverse City’s Cherry Capital Airport (TVC) had another record-breaking year in 2025.

Final numbers are in for last year, and TVC served 935,816 passengers between January 1 and December 31, up 19 percent from 787,114 passengers in 2024. That 2024 tally was itself a record-breaker in the moment, representing a 12.3 percent over 2023’s (also record-breaking) 700,699 passengers. Each of these statistics includes all enplanements and deplanements recorded at TVC over the course of a year.

“This milestone is a testament to the northern Michigan community and their unwavering support for the airport,” said TVC CEO Kevin Klein in a press release. “We are honored that passengers trust us with their business and leisure travel, and we look forward to continuing to grow alongside them.”

The press release also predicts that momentum at TVC will “continue into 2026,” with passenger numbers growing even further “alongside major infrastructure improvements.” TVC is already underway on a parking expansion, and is slated to break ground this April on “Gates to the Future” (rendering pictured), a terminal expansion project that will add “five new gates, expanded hold rooms, an enhanced security checkpoint, and other passenger-focused upgrades.” That project is expected to be completed in 2028.

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