Passenger Index / Airports / COU

Columbia Regional Airport (COU)

Columbia, Missouri · Non-hub · #195 of 458 by 12-month departing passengers screened

Columbia Regional Airport (COU) screened about 225,000 departing passengers at TSA checkpoints in the 12 months to September 30, 2026, up 79.4% on the prior 12 months. That ranks COU 195th of 458 US airports by departing passengers screened in Passenger Index's data.

12 months October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026 · published figures rounded to 3 significant figures. TSA data covers 351 of the 365 days; the annual figure is scaled to a full year.

Departing passengers screened (TSA), 12M
225,000
+79.4% YoY
International arrivals (CBP)
Not tracked
Not a CBP-monitored airport

Key facts

Airport
Columbia Regional Airport · TSA name: Columbia Regional
Location
Columbia, Missouri
IATA code
COU
Hub class
Non-hub (<0.1% of US TSA checkpoint throughput)
Size rank
#195 of 458 airports by 12-month departing passengers screened
CBP-monitored
No - no international-arrivals figure
Data through
September 30, 2026 (public); October 3, 2026 in Premium

Monthly passengers, last 12 months

MonthDeparting passengers screened (TSA)
September 202621,997
August 202621,999
July 202624,863
June 202622,623
May 202620,168
April 202618,252
March 202616,894
February 202614,348
January 202613,534
December 202516,415
November 202515,908
October 202517,037

Exact monthly totals for complete calendar months. A month with too few reported days shows "—". Year-over-year change by month, the latest 7 and 30 days and weekly data are in the paid plans.

Annual passengers

YearDeparting passengers screened (TSA)YoY
2025142,552+20.1%
2024118,169+5.2%
2023112,164+17.5%
202186,803+54.5%
202056,839-63.6%

Complete calendar years with a full set of monthly data, as reported by TSA. Year-over-year compares the same dates, using only days reported in both years.

How these numbers are built and what they do not count →

Daily COU traffic in Passenger Index Premium

This page shows 12-month, monthly and annual totals. Premium subscribers get COU's latest 7- and 30-day passengers with year-over-year change, daily and weekly history back to 2015, the full checkpoint series, Airport Data for every US airport, and CSV and Excel downloads - data through October 3, 2026.

Open Airport Data

Frequently asked questions

How many passengers does Columbia Regional Airport handle?

Columbia Regional Airport (COU) screened about 225,000 departing passengers at TSA checkpoints in the 12 months to September 30, 2026, up 79.4% on the prior 12 months. That ranks COU 195th of 458 US airports by departing passengers screened in Passenger Index's data.

How many passengers did COU screen last month?

In September 2026, 21,997 departing passengers were screened at TSA checkpoints at Columbia Regional Airport (COU), according to Passenger Index's compilation of TSA FOIA throughput data.

Is passenger traffic at COU growing?

In the 12 months to September 30, 2026, departing passengers screened at COU were up 79.4% year over year. Year-over-year compares the same 365 days a year earlier, using only days reported in both years.

Is COU a large hub airport?

COU is a non-hub in Passenger Index's FAA-style classification: it handled <0.1% of national TSA checkpoint throughput in the 12 months to September 30, 2026 (under 0.05% is the non-hub band). The FAA's official hub classes use calendar-year enplanements, so they can differ slightly.

Does this include international arrivals at COU?

No. COU is not one of the airports in CBP's Airport Wait Times data, so there is no international-arrivals figure. The departing figure still counts passengers bound for international destinations, because TSA screens them like everyone else.

Can this be split into domestic and international passengers?

Not from this data. TSA screening does not record where a passenger is flying, and CBP counts international arrivals only, so there is no international-departures figure to subtract. The two series measure opposite directions and are shown side by side, never added.

Why is this lower than the passenger count Columbia Regional Airport reports?

Airports usually report enplaned plus deplaned passengers, counting every arriving and departing passenger including connections. TSA counts departing passengers once, at screening; arrivals and connecting passengers who stay airside are not screened again, so this measure runs well below airport-reported totals, especially at connecting hubs.

Where does this data come from?

TSA checkpoint throughput by airport from the TSA FOIA reading room and passengers processed from CBP Airport Wait Times, both US federal public-domain data, compiled and validated by Passenger Index. The 12-month headline is rounded to three significant figures; the monthly and annual tables are exact. Passenger Index Premium has the full daily series.

Cite this page

Passenger Index, "Columbia Regional Airport (COU) passenger traffic", 12 months to September 30, 2026. https://passengerindex.com/web/airports/cou/

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