More than nine million people boarded or got off airplanes at San Antonio International Airport in 2017, up more than 5% from 2016 and the largest passenger load ever, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Huge December passenger numbers, nearly 800,000, helped push the airport to a record level.
"We are celebrating what is truly a very significant milestone, exceeding 9 million passengers served in San Antonio," said Russ Handy, the City's Director of Aviation.
Several factors are credited for the strong passenger numbers at the airport.. The strong local and national economy is boosting both leisure and business travel.. Several new routes and new non stops were added in 2017 and the City has made adding new routes a key priority.. And the growth of the city's tech sector has spurred travel as tech is by its nature a very mobile enterprise.
The announcement of the new passenger numbers came as the city officially dedicated the new consolidated car rental facility which will allow passengers to rent, pick up, and return rental cars right at the terminal, without having to take a shuttle bus to an off site facility.