IRON MOUNTAIN -- Some good economic news for Dickinson County came from an industry that has been hurting for nearly a decade.
Delta Airlines, which operates out of Ford Airport in Iron Mountain, reported a 30 percent increase in passengers during a presentation Monday night to the Dickinson County Board of Commissioners.
Delta flew 416 passengers out of Ford Airport in January 2010 compared to 590 so far this month.
Officials say Dickinson County's economic recovery has definitely had an effect on the airport.
"We're seeing a huge increase of our business community," said Delta Airlines Station Manager Eric Frankhauser. "Just a lot of the business people, we haven't seen in quite some time. Oldenburg is sending people out left and right for us, so we're really happy with that."
Frankhauser also told the Board of Commissioners that Ford Airport expects to accommodate 10,000 passengers in 2011.