Appleton International Airport. (PHOTO: WTAQ News)
GREENVILLE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — While other Wisconsin airports face stagnant passenger traffic, the Appleton International Airport (ATW) is flying high.
From 2019 to 2025, ATW’s traffic has increased by over 60%. But Wisconsin’s three other major airports — Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay — have not seen the same increases.
“We looked at a number of things,” said ATW Airport Director Abe Weber, who took over in 2013. “One, the passenger experience. How could we better serve the customer through Appleton Airport, rather than having them drive two or three hours down the road? And we really focused on everything from parking to the front curb, to ticketing, checkpoints, our restaurants and our concessions and even our gate area.”
Name change, airlines establishing bases have led to growth
In 2015, the then-Outagamie County Regional Airport became Appleton International Airport.
“I think that name change certainly had a benefit,” said Weber. “More people can recognize Appleton airport. It’s a place on the map.”
The airport grew significantly when United Airlines arrived in 2017, and grew even further when Allegiant established its Wisconsin base at ATW in 2022. Of Appleton’s 23 nonstop destinations, 16 are serviced by Allegiant.
The airport also serves as a major base for Gulfstream Aerospace, the business jet manufacturers.
County taxpayers have invested in improvement, but not in day-to-day operations
County taxpayers have invested only about $11 million into the airport’s expansion, according to Weber, while part of the other expansions were funded through state and federal tax money. The airport operates year-to-year without taking tax money from the county.
A recent study showed the airport provides about $2 billion in economic impact to the region annually and supports over 7,000 jobs.
“That is having a direct effect on manufacturing, on aerospace, on healthcare, on food, on restaurants, all of that,” said Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson. “So, that number really comes down to direct wages, direct taxes that are being paid, but also has a multiplier effect, where the dollars come into our community and then circulate among the various businesses and industries.”
One business traveler said the Appleton airport is one of his favorite places to travel.
“It’s small, it’s easy, it’s convenient, it’s meticulously clean,” said John Tagliapietra, who was traveling from Carlsbad, Calif. “The extension of the new terminal is absolutely wonderful. I just find it really convenient.”
“I look at the airport as the red carpet,” said Nelson. “The front doormat welcoming people to our community. My goal is to have an airport that introduces them to the community, so that they come here and they leave thinking, ‘That’s where I want to start a business.'”
So, if you’re feeling like the lines are long as you’re headed south on your spring excursion — well, they probably are longer than when you last traveled.
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