SLC International Airport reports record passengers served in 2024
The Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) hit new highs in passenger counts in 2024. According to figures release by the airport authority, the airport served 28,364,610 passengers, a 5.2 percent increase over 2023. That surpasses the previous record of 26,952,754 passengers in the previous year.
According to Nancy Volmer, director of communications and marketing for the Salt Lake City Department of Airports (SLCDA), the growth can be attributed primarily to an increase in the number of domestic passengers, which totaled 26,993,022 in 2024 compared to the previous high of 25,629,460 in 2023. The number of international passengers totaled 1,371,588 in 2024, up from 1,323,294 in 2023.
“Utah’s dynamic economy, including the growth in visitors and skiers, played a significant role in the increase in passengers last year,” said Bill Wyatt, executive director of SLCDA. “The addition of new nonstop destinations — thanks to our hub carrier Delta Air Lines — boosted passenger numbers, as did our added gate capacity, which attracted new airlines to SLC.”
Since opening Phase 1 of The New SLC airport rebuild in the fall 2020, Air Canada, Avelo Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Sun Country Airlines have begun landing at Salt Lake City. On May 15, WestJet, a Canadian carrier, will launch at SLC with nonstop service to Edmonton, Alberta.
The former SLC airport, which closed in fall 2020, was built to accommodate 10 million passengers and was operating at nearly three times its capacity in 2019. The New SLC Airport is designed to accommodate 34 million passengers at the full build-out of Phase 4, which is anticipated to open in fall 2026.
SLC is the 23rd-busiest airport in the United States and the 86th-busiest in the world. Currently, nearly 300 flights depart daily to more than 100 nonstop destinations. SLC is currently undergoing a $5.1 billion redevelopment program. The final phase of The New SLC is under construction and will bring 16 additional gates and 12 new concessions by fall 2026.