Greater than 34.7 million vacationers flew in or out of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Worldwide Airport final 12 months, marking the third straight 12 months of progress and essentially the most since earlier than the pandemic when document numbers of flyers handed by way of the terminals.
An enormous soar in worldwide vacationers helped gas an general 11% enhance in passenger site visitors at MSP final 12 months compared with 2022 when 31.2 million vacationers began or ended their journeys at MSP or caught a connecting flight, in line with figures launched Wednesday by the Metropolitan Airports Fee (MAC), which operates the airport.
MSP served practically 3 million passengers touring to or from abroad locations final 12 months, the MAC mentioned.
“We’re inspired by the rebound in worldwide service to new and current locations,” mentioned Brian Ryks, the MAC’s CEO. “We proceed to see rising demand for journey abroad, to Canada and to heat and sunny locations throughout Mexico and the Caribbean.”
Worldwide journey might develop much more in 2024 and push general passenger site visitors at MSP nearer to the all-time document of 39.5 million set in 2019 earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 severely lowered demand.
Delta Air Strains, the dominant service at MSP, restarted nonstop service to Tokyo final 12 months and in Could plans so as to add service to Dublin, Eire. WestJet, Canada’s second-largest airline, entered the market and began service between MSP and Edmonton and Saskatoon final 12 months. It plans so as to add service to Regina, Saskatchewan, this spring.
Aer Lingus will resume flights between MSP and Eire’s capital in April after a four-year hiatus. And German-based Lufthansa will grow to be the 18th airline to serve MSP when it begins service to Frankfurt in June. With Aer Lingus’ return and Lufthansa’s arrival, MSP’s service to worldwide locations will match pre-pandemic ranges.
Home journey continued its comeback after the pandemic, with 31.7 million passengers passing by way of MSP. That was up from 29.2 million in 2022. Vacationers at MSP additionally had extra nonstop choices final 12 months as carriers flew on to 156 locations, a soar from 145 the earlier 12 months. That quantity is anticipated to develop to 161 this 12 months as airways akin to Solar Nation add locations, the MAC mentioned.
Delta Air Strains flew essentially the most passengers and captured 70.3% of fliers at MSP final 12 months. Hometown airline Solar Nation served the subsequent most with 11.3% adopted by Southwest, United, American and Spirit.
The airport additionally noticed a rise in seats obtainable on the market final 12 months, rising from 50,600 in 2022 to 56,823 final 12 months. The 323,929 takeoffs and landings additionally surpassed 2022 ranges of 310,269.
