Denver International Airport officials say last year was the busiest in the 16-year-old airport’s history, with its passenger volume of 52.2 million surpassing the previous record — 2008’s 51.2 million passengers — by 1.9 percent.
In 2009, DIA’s passenger traffic dipped from the previous year, to 50.2 million, reflecting impacts from a sagging economy. Last year’s record traffic was up nearly 4 percent from 2009.
DIA Manager Kim Day said last year’s record results could be “a signal that we, as a region, are emerging from the sluggish economy.”
DIA’s total of 4.2 million passengers last month also made it the busiest December in the airport’s history. It was 5.1 percent higher than in December of 2009, and 3.3 percent higher than December of 2008, according to airport statistics.
The number of flights in and out of the airport increased 3.6 percent over December of 2009. The total tonnage of cargo handled at DIA increased 2.3 percent over December of 2009.
