DENVER AIRPORT BREAKS ANOTHER PASSENGER RECORD

Denver International Airport served nearly 70 million passengers in 2019, breaking its previous record as the airport continues to expand into one of the nation’s busiest hubs.

Last year marked the sixth consecutive year of growth for the Denver airport, with 7% more passengers than in 2018, the airport said in a news release.

“When DEN opened, many naysayers said the airport, which was built for 50 million passengers a year, would never reach capacity,” Denver airport CEO Kim Day said in a statement. “Now, 25 years later, we have far exceeded our original capacity and are building to accommodate our passenger growth now and in the future with a redesigned terminal and 39 newly built gates. These improvements will allow us to accommodate the growth of our airlines and serve 90 million passengers.”

Airport officials touted several milestones last year, including:

• On July 19, an estimated 227,497 passengers came through DIA, the most in a single day.

• International travel increased by 7.6% over 2018, serving an alltime high of nearly 3.2 million passengers.

• A spike in mail, freight and cargo operations. The 672 million pounds of cargo transported represented a 9.5% increase from 2018, and the highest volume through the airport in 15 years.

The rosy numbers come as DIA continues to face delays and consternation regarding its massive terminal renovation project. The construction, likely to be completed in 2024, has been marred by huge cost overruns as the city squabbled with contractors and allegations that DIA staff members meddled in the project’s design.