Mesa Gateway Airport overcame a service reduction from Allegiant Air resulting from high jet fuel costs, drawing a record number of passengers in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
Coinciding with this news, Allegiant intends to restore service for the winter months, with 34 additional roundtrip flights out of the east Mesa reliever airport during the holiday season.
"Fiscal year 2026 demonstrated the resilience of Mesa Gateway Airport and the growing market it serves," J. Brian O'Neill, the airport's executive director, said in a statement. "As airlines trimmed capacity nationwide, Gateway Airport posted record numbers in almost every major operational performance category."
Allegiant operates the near-entirety of Mesa Gateway's scheduled flights and flies
the vast majority of the airport's commercial passengers. During the fiscal year, it launched three new routes out of the airport, including much-desired service to Southern California.
How many people fly out of Mesa Gateway Airport?
Mesa Gateway welcomed more than 2 million passengers between July 2025 and June 2026. The airport drew 1,308 more people in 2025-26 than it did in 2024-25.
Increased service from Sun Country Airlines, the Minneapolis-based carrier that recently merged with Allegiant, also played a part in the growth.
Sun Country staff said the airline added 38 additional flights out of Mesa Gateway for the 2025-26 season. The airline attracted 6,000 more passengers compared with the previous season, according to a report from Executive Director J. Brian O'Neill.
Allegiant's traffic, about 1.9 million passengers, dipped slightly from 2024-25 as it began adjusting its schedule due to high jet fuel costs that resulted from the war in Iran.
Effects of those adjustments will likely be more evident in the next fiscal year's traffic numbers. Airport staff said Allegiant canceled about 60 roundtrip flights scheduled between July and November.
How many flights is Allegiant adding out of Mesa Gateway Airport?
But Allegiant plans to restore service this winter. It's adding 34 roundtrip flights out of Mesa Gateway between Dec. 17 and Jan. 4, 2027, coinciding with the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
"In line with our business model, our network planners regularly adjust capacity to meet the demands of holiday season travel," Allegiant spokesperson Sam Callinan told The Arizona Republic. "All of the flights are capacity increases on pre-existing routes."
Mesa Gateway staff said additional flights include:
- Six roundtrip flights to St. Cloud, Minnesota.
- Five roundtrip flights to Moline, Illinois.
- Four roundtrip flights to Bozeman, Montana and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
- Three roundtrip flights to Springfield, Missouri.
- Two roundtrip flights to Grand Rapids, Michigan; Bismarck, North Dakota; and Des Moines, Iowa.
- One roundtrip flight to Spokane, Washington; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Peoria, Illinois; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Fargo, North Dakota; and Grand Island, Nebraska.
"Allegiant's decision to add more flights this winter reflects the confidence they have in this market," O'Neill said.
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Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at Michael.Salerno@usatodayco.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mesa Gateway's biggest airline added 34 new flights. Where you can fly
