A Message from President John Poe and Mayor Kim Norton
Before 2024 becomes too distant a memory, we’d like to recap a successful year and preview our exciting vision for 2025.
We certainly have a lot to celebrate (and anticipate)! Here are a few highlights.
- Financially, we’re in a strong position. RST ended 2024 with a net profit that was contributed to the City of Rochester. This funding helps reduce the financial impact to the City of our airport projects and operations. Our financial outlook for 2025 is positive, too!
- We’re re-gaining passengers. We welcomed 6% more travelers in 2024 than 2023 as our Flocal (Fly Local) campaign took flight and quickly garnered excellent results. We’ll build on this momentum in 2025, with RST’s top priority being to re-build commercial airline passenger numbers to pre-Covid levels (and beyond).
- We’re on track with runway improvements. We are currently in the fifth phase of a seven-phase runway improvement project, and we reached some significant milestones in 2024. By the end of 2025 we’ll be ready to extend one of our runways to improve safety and accommodate a wider range of aircraft – a huge step forward. We’ve got some additional infrastructure and sustainability projects coming down the pike as well!
Our continuing success can be attributed to many factors. We’re fortunate to have top-notch airport employees who maintain a high level of customer service for all airport users. We’re also privileged to receive the unwavering support of our state and federal legislators who recognize the importance of improving RST’s infrastructure in order to create even more regional impact.
Finally, we wouldn’t be where we are without the unique partnership that keeps RST ticking. We’re owned by the City of Rochester and operated by Mayo Clinic, and this special partnership contributes to our airport’s fundamental resilience and strength.
RST’s ongoing mission is to be a vital transportation hub that connects our region to the world while ensuring a positive and seamless travel experience. We invite you to take flight with us in 2025 as we continue to advance this important mission!
Up, Up & Away
We made some big gains in 2024 that position RST to offer more direct flights and serve more passengers in 2025. Here are some highlights.
- We welcomed the return of our fourth daily American Airlines flight to Chicago. Passengers traveling through or to Chicago now enjoy shorter layovers and improved connections.
- We celebrated the Rochester City Council’s creation of a $1.5 million fund to help RST attract new direct flights to a handful of leisure destinations.
- Because of this incentive, several low-cost airlines have expressed interest in RST and we are hopeful to reach an agreement with one of them.
- Our efforts to work with airlines to add leisure destinations is a direct response to shifting demand in the U.S. airline industry. Since the pandemic, demand has evolved away from business and toward leisure air travel, according to the Regional Airline Associations. For this reason, airlines favor leisure destinations when deciding on new routes.
- We launched our Flocal (“Fly Local”) campaign, which quickly garnered excellent results.
- Flocal amplifies the concept that the airlines decide which flights RST can offer, not us. And since airlines make their decisions based on how much we can fill our current flights, we are encouraging community members to Flocal as much as possible. Essentially, travelers who Flocal become copilots in our airport’s growth and vitality.
- Flocal is working. Since our campaign began, we’ve seen a 6% percent year-over-year increase in passenger numbers – proof that every choice to fly local makes a difference.
- Our playful Flocal digital marketing campaign has generated 4,692,109 views. That’s a lot of eyeballs!
- Moving into 2025, we have even higher hopes for Flocal. Just think: If community members chose RST over Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport just 33 percent more, we could add nonstop flight routes to Phoenix, Orlando, and more.
Getting Better All the Time
We’re constantly working to improve our ramps, runways, terminal, and parking lots in order to provide an even better passenger experience. We made some major infrastructure improvements in 2024 and are excited about some important new projects proposed for 2025 and beyond. Here are some highlights.
- Runway Improvements. We are currently in the fifth phase of a seven-phase runway improvement project. In 2024 we completed:
- An upgraded landing system that improves pilots’ abilities to land in very poor visibility.
- A major road and pipeline relocation project which paves the way for us to extend one of our runways by the end of 2027. This runway extension will improve safety and allow us to accommodate a wider range of aircraft – a huge step forward!
- Solar-Covered Parking. A big push in 2025 will be advancing our proposal to create covered parking with solar panels over a portion of our parking lot.
- This will upgrade the passenger experience – no more clearing inches of snow off your car when you return from vacation!
- This will also generate sustainable energy for RST – the solar canopy would be large enough to generate electricity to cover half of the terminal building’s current power needs for a year. (And, 12 of the parking stalls will be equipped with EV charging access.)
- The project is currently included in the City of Rochester state bonding request, and we are also seeking additional funding sources to cover the total costs.
- Terminal Upgrades. Another proposal we want to advance in 2025 involves re-designing parts of the terminal to improve passenger experience and boost energy efficiency.
- The re-design would include passenger seating near baggage claim, the creation of a skyway connecting Gates 1 and 4/5 to improve accessibility, and more.
- The project would support RST’s environmental and sustainability goals with detailed strategies for decarbonization and energy efficiency.
- RST is seeking federal grants for this work. The project would likely involve a local funding match as well.
- GA Ramp Replacement. Finally, we’re in the design phase to replace our general aviation ramp (commonly referred to as a tarmac).
- This project not only supports private planes visiting Rochester but also Great Planes Aviation Flight School and Mayo Clinic Air Ambulance operations.
- Funding for the estimated $12M project is sought from federal airport infrastructure grants with a local match.
We’ve got a lot to celebrate as we say good-bye to 2024 and a lot to look forward to as we welcome 2025. From our financial strength and vitality to our Flocal success and airport improvements, we’re constantly moving forward. With our bold, exciting vision for the future — more sustainability and even better passenger experiences — RST is taking off. Thanks for coming along for the ride!