News File Photo Passengers exit a flight into Alpena from Detroit in this January 2019 News archive photo.

ALPENA — The Alpena County Regional Airport is on the verge of surpassing the 10,000 enplanement total it needs to receive a $1 million subsidy from the federal government.

An enplanement is a paying passenger who utilized the airport.

Thanks to a strong month of travel at the airport in October, Alpena County — which owns the airport — has logged 9,756 enplanements in 2021, with nearly two months to go until the end of the year.

Reaching the goal seems to be a certainty, Airport Manager Steve Smigelski said in an email.

Last year, the airport only had 6,427 enplanements. The low numbers were, in part, related to restrictions on travel and stay-at-home orders from the government.

The airport posted 12,391 enplanements in 2019.

In an email, Smigelski said the airport logged 1,208 paying passengers last month, easily surpassing October of 2020, when there were only 692.

Through the end of October last year, the airport recorded only 5,379 passengers, putting it ahead of the game by 4,377 for the same period this year.

SkyWest Airlines is the commercial air service provider for the county and provides flights to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.