North Dakota
Where can Air Force One land in North Dakota?
DICKINSON — With the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library happening this week, notable politicians and figures are expected to visit.
In an
interview
with the North Dakota Monitor, TRPL Executive Director Robbie Lauf said Members of Theodore Roosevelt’s family and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are among those expected to make their appearance. On June 20, the White House’s Freedom 250 made an
announcement
that President Donald Trump will also visit July 1.
There have been visits to the TRPL from the Trump administration in the past. In July of 2025, Vice President JD Vance
visited the construction site
with his family where they had lunch catered by The Farmhouse Cafe in Medora. To visit Medora, Vance
flew into the Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport
, according to KFYR-TV. A
post
made on a Dickinson-based Facebook group inquired on June 6 whether President Trump would also land in Dickinson for a possible visit to Medora.
REUTERS / Kevin Lamarque
“Air Force One”
is the call sign used for any aircraft when the president is aboard, meaning the president could use a smaller aircraft capable of landing in Dickinson. However, according to the United States Air Force, the president often uses the VC-25A aircraft as Air Force One. The VC-25A is a specialized version of a Boeing 747.
When President Obama departed on an
international trip
in 2009, CBS News reported that Air Force One needed at least 10,800 feet of runway for its takeoff. The Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport has only 7,301 feet on its main runway according to its
website
.
The Dawson Community Airport in Glendive, Montana, is another airport nearby Medora. Yet, it faces the same limitations as the airport in Dickinson. According to airport manager Craig Hostetler, the Dawson Community Airport’s main runway only has a length of about 5,400 feet and would not be able to handle the weight of a Boeing 747. Hostetler suggested that President Trump would probably fly into either the Billings-Logan International Airport or Bismarck Municipal Airport.
“Air Force One cannot land here,” he said. “Most airports in eastern Montana and western North Dakota probably would not handle it.”
Matthew Remynse, the airport director in Bismarck, confirmed that the Bismarck Airport is capable of handling a Boeing 747 and that Air Force One had landed there in the past. He noted that while President Trump visited the airport in 2017, a runway reconstruction project caused the airfield to be a little shorter than needed. So instead of the specialized Boeing 747, the president flew into the airport aboard a smaller Boeing 757.
“There are only a handful of airports in North Dakota that can handle the 747, so a lot of planning goes into where to land,” Remynse said. “Past presidents have flown into Fargo and Bismarck because those are the airports with the infrastructure.”
With the airport in Bismarck being about 140 miles away from the TRPL, it could take close to two hours for the president to be driven to Medora. Remynse explained that former President Barack Obama used a helicopter to travel from the airport to Fort Yates when he visited in 2014. Although Remynse said he can’t speculate on what the President will do when he visits Medora, he said flying on a helicopter was an option.
Whether or not President Trump will use Bismarck Airport in July, Remynse said he’s always “beaming with pride” whenever a president lands on his runway.
“It’s always an exciting time when the president flies in,” he said. “If we’re the airport of choice, we’re happy to support the Secret Service and the Air Force in their mission.”
Mike McCleary / Bismarck Tribune
