Maine’s Busiest Airport is Not in Maine’s Largest City

Portland's International Jetport and Bangor's International Jetport are busy, but they aren't Maine's busiest airports.

The distinction of being Maine's busiest airport belongs to Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport in Sanford, Maine. Wait, what?

How is Sanford, Maine, home to Maine's busiest airport?

According to the Bangor Daily News, they have eight aircraft and 14 flight instructors on staff with Southern Maine Aviation. It's those students, along with a bunch of private planes, a handful of charter companies, and an emergency helicopter service, that combine to make Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport the busiest in Maine.

It also doesn't hurt that it's close to summer homes on the water. You know, for that weekend getaway, you just fly your plane over to Sanford, Maine.

Even President Bush used Sanford Regional Airport. Yes, Air Force One landed there.

When George W. Bush was president, he would often fly to Maine using Sanford's airport. It's just a hop, skip, and jump to his folks' place in Kennebunkport. Having Air Force One land in Sanford is pretty exciting.

READ MORE: Bangor International Named Among Best Small Airports in America

Sanford isn't a big airport, just busy. The Sanford Airport Manager, Allison Navia, told the Bangor Daily News it's not the size of the airport that matters. When comparing Portland to Sanford...

There, you have a few big planes with a lot of people. Here, we’ve got a lot of smaller planes with just a few people.

Sanford's airport sees about 40,000 takeoffs and landings, then Portland with 32,000, Bangor with 30,000, Bar Harbor with 25,000, and Augusta with 23,000. Maine DOT aviation engineer Tim LeSiege tracks those numbers. He says there are about 217 places to land and take off in Maine.