South Bend, IN. – South Bend International Airport (SBN) set an all-time annual passenger record in 2025 when 1,111,002 ticketed airline passengers passed through its gates. The previous record was in 1997 with 991,457 passengers.

SBN has seen passenger growth year-over-year for the last five years. The 2025 record marks substantial growth of 23.5% above 2024. With this growth came other records. Forty-one of the 50 busiest days ever occurred in 2025. Seven of those days were in the top ten. While every month of the year experienced growth, for the first time SBN had two months with over 50,000 people boarding aircraft – March at 50,602 and October at 51,339.

This growth is due to more people choosing to start and end business trips and vacations at SBN. Three new routes began – seasonal service to Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers on Breeze Airways, year-round service to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Florida on Allegiant, and daily service to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) on American Airlines. United Airlines increased flights to ORD from six to eight times daily.

SBN will celebrate this milestone February 9 – 13 at the airport and in the community. Social media giveaways will take place on the airport’s Facebook and Instagram, surprise and delight events will take place inside the terminal, a SBN Spotify Playlist has been curated for streaming, and the Morris Performing Arts Center and the South Bend River Lights will be lit blue on February 10 and 11. Details can be found 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. I want to sincerely thank each person who chose to make SBN part of their travels and our airline partners who have responded by adding new routes and frequencies. Everyone has a choice. This record year is a result of those choices.”

About South Bend International Airport

South Bend International Airport’s five air carriers provide nonstop flights to seventeen destinations: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Orlando, Punta Gorda, Phoenix/Mesa, Sanford, Sarasota/Bradenton, Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg, and Washington, D.C. with connections world-wide. South Bend International’s multi-modal terminal serves over 1.5 million air and rail passengers each year.

For additional information, please refer to www.FlySBN.com or get social with SBN on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FlySBN), Instagram (@SBNairport), LinkedIn (@South Bend International Airport) or X (@SBNairport) to stay informed about the airport and the carriers that serve the South Bend region.