In the midst of a huge summer for air travel across the country, the Kansas City International Airport has set a new record.
U.S. airports had their best day in history this summer when agents with the Transportation Security Administration screened more than 3 million passengers on the Sunday after the 4th of July, setting a new record, according to CBS News.
But KCI had already set its own top mark with its highest month of travel ever, according to a Wednesday press release.
The Kansas City Aviation Department reported that 1,174,626 passengers arrived and departed through KCI’s gates in June 2024, a 7.4% increase from June 2023 and an all-time high for the month of June and for the airport.
The June total surpassed the previous 1.14 million record set in July 2001.
This has been a huge year for KCI, recording the busiest May in its existence, making a national list of the best airports and now setting a new monthly high.
And KCI could reach even higher heights in July, typically the busiest summer travel month. Those numbers are expected to be released in late August.
Could the KC airport set a new annual record?
The airport is on pace for one of the busiest years since before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks changed U.S. air travel.
The June passenger total puts KCI at nearly 5.89 million passengers served for the year. That puts the airport on pace to exceed at least its 2019 traffic, the busiest full year for which monthly data is available on the airport’s website. KCI saw 5.77 million passengers in the first half of that year.
If the current 2024 pace continues for the rest of the year, the airport could see a record 12 million passengers served at KCI, according to a press release. The previous annual high was set in 2000, with 11.9 million passengers served.
What were KCI’s passenger numbers in 2023?
Kansas City International had a busy 2023 as a near-record number of travelers passed through the gates at the airport, according to the year-end passenger traffic numbers.
For the year, more than 11.5 million passengers flew into and out of the airport, which has the code MCI. That was an increase of 17.7% over 2022’s passenger volume of 9.8 million, according to the Kansas City Aviation Department.
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