America’s Friendliest Airport® set a new single-month record in March, with nearly 4.4 million passengers traveling through Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Passenger numbers in March 2018 were 2.3 percent higher than March 2017, and 1.9 percent higher than March 2016, which set the previous record. In the first quarter of calendar year 2018, the Airport saw an increase of 2.7 percent compared to the first three months of 2017. On an average day, Phoenix Sky Harbor welcomes 120,000 travelers. In March of this year, more than 140,000 passengers on average were served each day, with some days being even busier.
Passenger numbers for Phoenix Sky Harbor’s two largest carriers American Airlines and Southwest Airlines were also up. American served nearly two million passengers at Sky Harbor, up 2.9 percent from the previous March while Southwest welcomed more than 1.4 million passengers, up 3.1 percent from the previous year.
Spring Training, Spring Break, NASCAR and other Phoenix area events contribute to the increase in passenger traffic. The Airport has also added several new routes and additional service to domestic destinations like Amarillo, Cincinnati, Oklahoma City, Aspen and Jackson Hole which have brought new visitors to Phoenix as well as travelers taking advantage of the new flights. Phoenix Sky Harbor has also been working to increase international air service with both new routes and increased service. In February, Air Canada Rouge added nonstop service to Montreal. Additionally, the airline has increased service to Calgary and Vancouver. In March, British Airways added another daily flight on Tuesdays and Fridays with an extra Sunday flight coming in May. This in addition to their daily nonstop service. Also in May, Condor Airlines begins nonstop seasonal service to Frankfurt, Germany, which adds a vital connection not only for visitors to and from Germany but businesses both in Phoenix and abroad.
With the growth in passenger numbers comes the need to ensure that the airport infrastructure can meet passenger demands. In order to provide world-class customer service to every customer every day, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is in the midst of two billion dollars’ worth of capital improvements. This includes the modernization of Terminal 3, the 2.5-mile extension of the PHX Sky Train® to the Rental Car Center, and the construction of a new eight gate concourse at the Airport’s busiest terminal, Terminal 4.
