Monday was the busiest day for passengers in Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport history
Feb 17, 2023, 4:05 AM
(KTAR News Photo/Jim Cross)
PHOENIX — Passengers made their way through Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in record numbers on Monday, the day after the Valley hosted its fourth Super Bowl and the annual WM Phoenix Open.
Over 200,000 people came through Phoenix’s largest airport on the day, surpassing the 175,000 who did in 2015 when the Super Bowl was last in town.
An average day has about 120,000 passengers come through the airport.
“Super Bowl LVII set records across the city of Phoenix, and that could not be more evident than at our airport,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in a press release.
“These numbers speak to the appeal of Phoenix and Arizona as a destination for high caliber events.”
Airport officials estimated at least 180,000 passengers ahead of the busy day, a projection that resulted in extra flights, security and other staff.
There were 1,691 takeoffs and landings on Monday, nearly 500 more than a normal day.
Even with the booster numbers, Sky Harbor said TSA checkpoint line waits never exceeded 22 minutes.
“We received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from travelers about their experience,” Director of Aviation Services Chad Makovsky said in the release.