January is generally a slower time for the airline industry – after the travel rushes of November and December, but traffic at Denver International Airport has been strong so far this year.
2010 was a record-setting year at DIA, with more than 52 million passengers traveling through. And airport officials say 2011 is off to a strong start as well. More than 3.9 million people traveled through the facility in January – a 4% increase over traffic numbers in January 2010, which is a pleasant surprise.
“January and February are typically a little bit slower, coming off the holiday season and the time before spring break starts, so we don’t typically see increases like that in the month of January,” says airport Spokeswoman Jenny Schiavone.
Travel is expected to pick up even more as spring break and the summer months approach. Summer is typically the busiest time at DIA. The busiest day in airport history was June 1, 2010. Officials say last year and the strong start to this year shows continued stability in the aviation industry. DIA is the 5th busiest airport in the U.S. and the 10th busiest in the world.