Commercial airline flights out of RST’s main terminal immediately pop to mind when you think of our airport. But did you know there’s another area on the airport campus that serves as a hub for private planes, international travelers, air ambulances, pilot training and a flying club? The airport’s lesser-known General Aviation operations tend to fly “under the radar,” but they create a huge impact. Here’s a snapshot of GA activities, followed by the highlights of a plan to upgrade the GA ramp.
Private planes – 843 monthly flights
General Aviation services are provided by Signature Flight Support, which employs a team of 19 operating out of RST’s executive terminal on the GA ramp. In 2024, Signature Flight supported:
- 10,674 private planes
- An average of 843 private flights per month (compared to 182 commercial flights per month).
While there are more than four times as many private flights as commercial flights, passenger numbers are lower on GA flights than commercial flights.
Fun fact: Signature Flight Support serves more than 2,500 gallons of coffee to private aircraft staff and passengers every year!
International GA passengers – 1,081 in 2024
The U.S. Customs office at RST primarily serves international visitors arriving through General Aviation operations. In 2024, GA operations serviced:
- 214 flights that carried 1,081 international passengers.
- An average of 18 international flights each month.
Air ambulances – More than 300 flights in 2024
Mayo Clinic’s air ambulance program operates out of RST with a King Air fixed-wing aircraft. Aircraft from other hospitals sometimes land at RST as well.
- In 2024, Mayo Clinic’s air ambulance program completed more than 300 flights, which were primarily patient care flights but also included pilot training flights. Its medical flights are primarily patient transports, including support for the neonatal and pediatric transport teams. Critical care teams are able to provide ICU-level care to patients in flight.
- The air ambulance program also supports Mayo Clinic’s Donor Care Unit. On these flights, a patient who has been declared brain dead is brought to Rochester for the donation procedure, which extends the available time to get the organs into the recipients. Rochester is one of only about three dozen transplant programs in the U.S. with a Donor Care Unit, and very few aircraft operators support this type of flight.
- Mayo Clinic’s air ambulance program extends Mayo Clinic care across the country. Last year it completed patient transports from 32 different states, including Washington, California, Florida, and Massachusetts.
Pilot training – 2,500 training flights per year
The GA ramp is used for training the pilots of the future through a program operated by Great Planes Aviation and the RCTC Aviation program.
- Approximately 170 future pilots train out of the GA ramp per year.
- Approximately 2,500 training flights are conducted.
Southeastern Minnesota Flying Club – 430 flights in 2024
The Southeastern Minnesota Flying Club, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide members with affordable access to safe and modern aircraft, also operates out of RST.
- SEMFC currently has 61 members, ranging from student pilots to professional airline pilots and military pilots.
- SEMFC currently owns two aircraft, a Piper Archer II and a Cessna 172, that are kept at RST.
- In 2024, members reserved and flew the club’s aircraft more than 430 times.
Coming soon: GA upgrades
General Aviation’s huge importance to users and to RST’s success have spurred plans to upgrade and expand the existing GA ramp. This is being done to replace existing aged infrastructure and to provide additional aircraft parking and includes:
- Expanding the apron to provide additional aircraft parking
- Removing a taxiway that no longer meets FAA safety design criteria
- Constructing a new taxiway and taxi lane
- Constructing a new fuel truck pad to free up more parking for aircraft
The project will be funded by FAA Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, MNDOT Aeronautics, and airport reserve funds and is expected to begin this summer. Learn more about RST’s General Aviation operations.
