Sky Harbor flies high with record number of passengers in 2018

PHOENIX – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport flew higher than ever in 2018, serving nearly 45 million passengers.

The total of 44,943,686 travelers last year was a 2.3 percent increase from 2017 and topped the previous record of just over 44 million in 2015, the airport announced Tuesday.

“It shows just how popular this part of the world is, this part of the country, the Valley in general, the state in particular,” Sky Harbor spokesman Greg Roybal told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

“It’s also a good sign of Arizona’s economy, because Sky Harbor is widely considered to be the economic engine for the state.”

The Valley’s second-largest airport, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, also set a traffic record in 2018.

Sky Harbor has been investing in upgrades and expansion as it phases out the aging Terminal 2, which will be demolished.

A new south concourse opened this month in Terminal 3, and renovation of the terminal’s north concourse is expected to wrap up in 2020.

Two other major projects are scheduled for completion in 2022: an extension of the PHX Sky Train to the rental car center and the addition of an eighth concourse in Terminal 4 with eight new gates for Southwest Airlines.

“The more people want these nice, new things, the more we’ll get, because we do respond to passenger and traveler requests,” said Roybal, adding that updated information can be found on Sky Harbor’s website.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Ashley Flood contributed to this report.

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