The Bismarck Airport remains open despite the cold temperatures and wind chill

Bismarck, North Dakota – Throughout the polar vortex, the Bismarck Airport has continued to operate regularly despite the subzero temperatures and past closures. Many people congregated at the airport today for both flights and arrivals.

“As long as we take off,” stated passenger Greg Haider, “they’re probably all on time. I think our flight is coming in, it didn’t sit and start up today cold. It’ll be flying in, and it will be warm and taking off. I’m not sure how they will be when they have to start up cold.”

Despite previous closures and below-freezing conditions, the Bismarck Airport has been operating routinely throughout the polar vortex. There was a large crowd at the airport today for both arrivals and flights.

“We were looking when we were getting ready to leave Orlando,” recalls passenger Shoni Mortenson, “and wondered if we would get here or not. We had seen flights coming in from Minneapolis and going out, delayed, or canceled, and the same thing was true with Denver. So we were kind of wondering, but we got out of Sanford just fine.”

Many of those who arrived at the nation’s capital also say they were taken aback by the temperature differential from their point of departure.

“It was like a 145-degree difference from where we are to where we are now,” state fellow passengers Riley Hugelen and McKenna Haverluk.

Only a few delays or cancellations affected planes in the Bismarck-Mandan area, but all of the flights at the Minot Airport were canceled for today. In the meantime, Dickinson experienced one arrival and one departure in the afternoon.

The entire nation’s aviation traffic is being impacted by the same polar vortex that is currently plaguing Bismarck. As of Saturday at midday, 18,502 flights nationwide had been canceled, with over 1,100 of those flights being canceled, according to the website FlightAware.