The Salt Lake City International Airport set another yearly record for the number of passengers served in 2018 — the third straight year of passenger growth. According to data released by the Salt Lake City Department of Airports, from January through December 2018, passenger counts totaled 25,554,244, an increase of 5.6 percent. This is the first time the airport has logged more than 25 million passengers within a 12-month period. During the 12 months, domestic passengers totaled 24,282,284, which is an increase of nearly 5.14 percent while international passengers totaled 1,071,960, an increase of 17.26 percent.
“We are planning and building for continued growth with the New SLC Redevelopment Program,” said Bill Wyatt, executive director of the Salt LAke Department of Airports. “Even through construction, we continue to rank high in passenger surveys, which is a reflection of the great team we have on board.”
SLC’s current facilities were built to accommodate 10 million annual domestic passengers, Wyatt said. Through the years, SLC has attracted more international air service as well as become a hub operation for Delta Air Lines, which continues to fuel SLC’s passenger growth.
Salt Lake City International airport is the 23rd-busiest airport in North America and the 85th-busiest in the world. More than 340 flights depart daily to 98 destinations. The airport is currently undergoing a $3.6 billion redevelopment program, the first phase of which will be completed in fall of 2020. The project is being funded by user fees — primarily from airlines serving Salt Lake City — but also parking fees, rental car fees and passenger facility charges. No local tax dollars are being spent on the project, the department said.