Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport saw an uptick in passenger traffic in the first quarter over last year and had a record-setting month of March.

Nearly 4.3 million passengers traveled through Sky Harbor in March, the airport’s busiest month ever, and up 1.5 percent from a year ago. 

“The increase in passenger numbers cannot only be attributed to spring break, spring training, NASCAR and other popular spring events in the greater Phoenix area, but also to an improving economy,” said Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton.

Sky Harbor had a banner year in 2015 with more than 44 million passenger passing through the airport.

In 2016, passenger traffic is up 2 percent in the first quarter with a total of 11.2 million travelers.

The PHX Sky Train also achieved record numbers in March with 494,153 passengers and a an average of 15,940 travelers per day.

Sky Harbor is in the midst of a phased modernization of Terminal 3 aimed at creating a more efficient terminal for travelers. In addition, a new shops are coming to Terminal 4, Sky Harbor’s busiest.

“Phoenix Sky Harbor is the state’s largest economic engine and this is great news for our community,” Mayor Stanton said.

Every day about 1,200 aircraft and more than 100,000 passengers arrive and depart at Sky Harbor, making it one of the ten busiest airports in the United States.