Kansas City International Airport Sets New Record By Handling Over 1.1 Million Passengers In June

Summary

  • Kansas City airport had its busiest month ever in June 2024, with the potential to break the annual passenger record.
  • Southwest Airlines dominates MCI market share with 48%, followed by Delta Air Lines at 17.2%.
  • US airports handled record-breaking passenger numbers of over 3 million passengers in one day during the busy summer period.

Kansas City airport has just recorded its busiest month ever, and the forecast after analyzing the monthly passenger data indicates that the airport is on track to potentially set a new annual record for the first time in decades. The data trend also indicates that the passenger traffic is set to exceed the pre-pandemic levels this year.

Busiest month recorded

While airports across the US experienced record-breaking passenger numbers this past month, a report by The Kansas City Star shows that Kansas City International Airport (MCI) recorded its busiest month ever during June 2024, handling 1,174,626 passengers, which is a 7.4% increase from June 2023. This number is also 2.6% higher than MCI’s previous busiest-month record, which was set in July 2001 (1.14 million passengers).

Forecasts suggest that the July 2024 numbers, which will be released later this month, could be higher than the passenger traffic handled in June.

Data for the first half (H1) of 2024 shows that the airport handled nearly 5.89 million passengers (+2% from the 2019 H1 figure) and is on track to exceed not only pre-pandemic levels but also its existing yearly passenger traffic record of 11.9 million for the year 2000.

Southwest Boeing 737-max-8 flying

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Data from 2023 compiled by the Kansas City Business Journal shows that Southwest Airlines is the dominant carrier at MCI, having nearly 48 % market share at the airport last year, with Delta Air Lines coming in at second place with only 17.2% market share.

Breaking the 12 million mark

Considering the recorded passenger traffic data, the trends suggest that the airport has the potential to break the 12 million passenger mark, setting a new record for the first time in over two decades. The current yearly passenger traffic record was set in the year 2000, with the airport having handled 11,910,654 passengers.

It is worth noting that this record was nearly reached in 2018 and 2019, and it is possible the airport could have beaten the record if not for the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which saw passenger numbers plummet by nearly 62%.

MCI Passenger Numbers vs Years

Photo: Abid Habib | Simple Flying

The data for the past five years clearly indicate the recovery in passenger numbers. Considering that passengers handled during H1 2024 are already known to be higher than H1 2023, along with the forecast for July numbers to be even higher, it is clear that the airport is performing well and can exceed the 12 million mark for the passengers handled.

Busy summer across the US

The US as a whole had an extremely busy summer, and the TSA, for the first time ever in a single day, recorded over three million passengers passing through airports all over the country on the Sunday after the 4th of July.

Related

Busy Airports: How 4th July Weekend Passenger Numbers Compare To 2023

Here are the numbers, and this is how they compare to the previous year.

What makes this more impressive is that despite the significant rush, the airports and airlines were adequately prepared to ensure a smooth passenger experience, and the TSA teams across all airports maintained the highest safety standards and protocol while handling up to 35 passengers per second.

Clear Plus with TSA Precheck

Photo: Denver International Airport

Technological advancements such as TSA’s PreCheck and facial recognition systems have certainly played a part in ensuring that airports are able to handle an increasingly high volume of passengers, by ensuring faster passenger movements through the security checkpoints but also ensuring the highest safety standards are maintained.

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