Runway Project to Limit Glacier Park Airport Operations in July 2026
GPIA will be closed from Monday evening to Friday morning over four consecutive weeks next July as crews rehabilitate the main airport runway
By Maggie Dresser
Glacier Park International Airport (GPIA) officials announced today that there will be limited aircraft operations in July 2026 to complete a critical rehabilitation project, an infrastructure improvement that local business leaders say will disrupt tourism during peak visitation in northwest Montana.
Starting in early July next summer, a rolling schedule will close the airport from Monday evening to Friday morning over four consecutive weeks.
Last rehabilitated in 2009, the main runway is showing visible signs of distress and by next summer will reach the end of its expected lifespan. Postponing the work would pose serious safety risks, increase costs and complexity and would jeopardize critical federal funding, airport officials say.
“There are no other alternatives because of the Federal Aviation Administration has paving specifications,” GPIA Director Rob Ratkowski said.
The project entails paving, grooving and striping the runway, which requires a window of dry weather and low temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, as outlined by the Federal Aviation Administration. After reviewing 20 years of weather data, July was determined to offer the most reliable conditions.
According to Montana Department of Transportation data, GPIA experiences peak travel during July, which saw 77,864 boardings last year compared to 55,386 boardings in September.
Despite the heavy air travel traffic in the summer, 86% of visitors travel by car to Montana while only 14% fly, according to the University of Montana Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research data.
Officials with the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce say the timing of the airport closure will significantly impact visitation and tourism to the Flathead Valley could decrease by 20% during July of 2026.
“It’s the busiest month of the year,” Kalispell Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Bill Mosely said. “For a lot of the small business community the two months in the summer is 70% of revenue.”
Mosely said local business owners are concerned about the losses they could experience next summer – especially hoteliers – and he hopes airport officials will offer an alternative schedule.
“It will have a pretty big impact on the business community,” Mosely said. “It’s right in the peak of tourism.”
Mosely suggested alternatives like scheduling the project over two years instead of one during less busy months, but Ratkowski said funding was not available for two years and poor weather remains a risk.
Ratkowski says the risk of unreliable weather during other months is too high and the consequences of inopportune weather could cause major disruptions like flight cancellations and missed connections, impacting up to 2,500 passengers per day. Federal funding, too, would not be available if the project was extended into the following year.
Airport administrators say public involvement will be extensive through the next year to ensure travelers and stakeholders are well-informed.
The closure next year could spread out traffic numbers, which will likely be at full capacity before and after the closures while airport officials will work with airline carriers to add more services. Some tourists may also adjust their travel plans by driving or visiting during other months, Ratkowski said.
“Construction season is tourist season,” Ratkowski said. “We have to balance safety and the quality of the project. The impact is not lost on us – but to some extent – our hands are tied.”