GREENVILLE, Wis. (WFRV) - While Tuesday morning the Appleton International Airport announced additional flights for the week of the 2025 NFL Draft being held in Green Bay, it was not easy getting these flights confirmed. “This time, from United Airlines, it’s going to be adding additional flights to Denver, and then a new flight to Houston for the NFL Draft,” said Abe Weber, airport director at Appleton International Airport. “We’re extremely aggressive; we’re always talking with the airlines every opportunity we get, pitching our airport, pitching our community, making sure they know we can accommodate additional traffic and that if they put those flights into Appleton Airport, we’re going to do everything we can from marketing to air service to operations.” 50 local non-profits selected to take part in Give BIG Green Bay 2025 United Airlines added flights from Houston daily on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday of the draft, and a second Denver flight was added to the existing regularly scheduled flight on the same days. Thirty-three miles northeast, Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport is also vying for as many flights as it can get the week of the draft, but it finds itself in the same boat with a shortage of planes for airlines. “It’s difficult for the airlines to add flights," said airport director Marty Piette. "They simply don’t have the aircraft. We’re fortunate that Delta was able to do that for us on four routes, so I would anticipate larger aircraft into the hubs of Detroit, O’Hare, Minneapolis, and Atlanta.” Airport officials say that by purchasing tickets early, passengers can do themselves and the airports a favor by showing a high level of interest that will increase the number and capacity of planes for the draft. “Go out and get those flights now," Piette said. "As we get closer, they’re just going to be more expensive and more sparse. And the more seats that people book now, the more availability that will come. If we sell out a 76-seat aircraft, we might see the airline put in a 120-seat aircraft.” Both airports are playing a numbers game, trying to get as many passengers through their terminals in late April as possible. “[These latest flights] are going to put us up to about 70 flights and over 7,500 seats from 20 nonstop destinations," Weber said of the additions out of Houston and Denver. "Appleton International Airport really is going to be the gateway to northeast Wisconsin for the draft.” Austin Straubel International Airport is aiming its estimates high for its staff to be prepared but knows that the airlines will be the limiting factor in the actual number of passengers that arrive in Green Bay. “We’re planning for an extra 100,000 passengers through the terminal building that week," Piette said. "Now, reality is how many aircraft can the airlines put in to accommodate those passengers? So we’re planning high.” Estimates have put the total draft attendees between 250,000 and 300,000. Both airports are under construction ahead of the draft. Appleton International Airport currently has seven gates but is adding more to take on additional planes. What happens if TikTok is banned? Will app and data disappear? “Everything so far is on time, and we should have 10 gates up and running by the time the draft gets around," Weber said. Officials at the Fond du Lac Skyport say they’re planning for an overflow of smaller or private planes that won’t be able to make it into Appleton or Green Bay. A similar crush of planes is also expected at the Manitowoc and Sheboygan County airports.