Approximately 44 million people flew into or out of Sky Harbor International airport in Phoenix in 2017, and officials are expecting to continue the trend of growing as a busy travel hub. According to Sky Harbor’s Deputy Aviation Director for Public Relations, Julie Rodriguez, the passengers for December of 2017 were up 1.7 percent, and up 1.2 percent for the entire year. She stated that the increase in passengers is a trend that should carry over into 2018.
Sky Harbor International airport is growing with its passenger counts as well. Starting this month, Air Canada Rouge is going to add a service to Montreal from Sky Harbor. Condor airlines has also announced a new direct, non-stop service from Sky Harbor for Frankfurt, Germany. This will be two days a week and will begin in May of 2018.
More international flights are also adding on service, including British Airways adding more of both direct and connecting flights to London later this year. By the end of this year, Sky Harbor will have direct service to 22 international locations. The international flight additions are due in large part to Sky Harbor International having one of the fastest customs times in USA international airports.
There will be additions to domestic services as well, and will now over direct domestic services to over 80 US cities. This will include American Airlines adding on a direct flight to Amarillo, TX.
With all of the added flight services, there will be expanded airport services as well. Sky Harbor already offers 2 XpressSpas, travel companion dogs, many stores and restaurants – including multiple places to grab food and drinks 24 hours a day. Officials have stated that there will be new additions to the already large choices of shops and restaurants in both terminal 3 and terminal 4. They will also be extending the route of the Sky Train to run to the rental car hub.
March is Sky Harbor’s busiest travel month with tourists pouring in to enjoy the weather, as well as events such as the Cactus League. There will be an estimated 4 million people traveling through Phoenix in March, and we are heading towards that month at a rapid pace. With the added flights already in service, and more to come as the year progresses, it seems safe to assume that there will be nothing but increases in passenger counts as the year marches on.
It will most likely be a great year for Sky Harbor, and with all the improvements and service additions, there is little doubt that the trend of growth will continue for the foreseeable future.
