Which North Dakota Airport Is Often Top 20 Busiest In The USA?

One of my favorite hobbies is watching the skies over North Dakota and looking for airplanes.

Specifically, commercial airlines.  You would be amazed at some of the big jets that fly over North Dakota airspace.  How do I know this?

I have an app on my phone called Flightradar24. 

It's a FREE app for your phone that shows you in real-time planes flying anywhere in the world. 

You will see the airplane carrier, the model of the plane, departure and arrival time, what airport the flight originated at, and its final destination.

Not only does it show you commercial flights, but  It will also show you private flights with all the same information.  Absolutely fascinating.

I've seen flights over North Dakota that have originated in Russia, China, numerous European countries, and even Greenland.

North Dakota air space is a lot busier than most people think.

In fact, did you know that we have an airport in North Dakota that is often in the top 20 busiest in the entire United States in terms of take-offs and landings?

That's right, move over Atlanta's Hartsfield, Chicago's O'Hare, New York's LaGuardia, and LAX.

According to the Grand Forks Aiport, the number of take-offs and landings at GFK often ranks the airport in the top 20 of the nation's busiest airports.  This is due mostly to pilot training at UND Aerospace.

Fargo's Hector Airport may be the busiest with commercial airliners, but not overall when you are talking about the number of take-offs and landings. Nope, it's Grand Forks International Airport (GFK).

According to UND Today, Grand Forks International Airport (GFK) was the busiest airport in the country for a period in 2021.  Specifically, March 1st through the 3rd and again on March 8th.  According to the FAA, the airport (GFK) had as many as 2,000 instructions to pilots taking off and landing on a given day.  Again, the majority of those planes are from the University of North Dakota's flight school.

I'm pretty sure I may have missed my calling to be a pilot.