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Press Releases

April 30, 2026

Phoenix Sky Harbor Sets Passenger Records

The airport sees its busiest month and day ever in March

PHOENIX – Last month was a busy one for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, with Spring Break passengers coming and going, and others enjoying a variety of events around the Valley. With 5,128,429 passengers coming through the airport, it marks the busiest month ever in the airport’s history surpassing the previous March 2024 record by 1.27%. March 8 was also a milestone day when 86,250 passengers were screened at PHX. That is the most ever in one day.

“March’s record number of travelers at Sky Harbor points to something greater — Phoenix is a world-class destination with a world-class airport,” Mayor Kate Gallego said. “With events including the women’s NCAA Final Four, Cactus League Spring Training, and the M3F Music Festival, the Valley was the place to be! The staff at America’s Friendliest Airport — especially the TSA agents who were at times seeing delays in pay — made it all possible.”

For comparison, America’s Friendliest Airport®’s previously busiest day ever was Feb. 13, 2023, the day after the Valley hosted Super Bowl LVII. On that day, the airport saw 83,914 passengers pass through checkpoints.

Here are some other figures from last month’s March 8 record day at PHX:

  • 1,520 takeoffs and landings, compared to 1,335 on an average day.
  • An average wait time at TSA security checkpoints of 7 minutes, 24 seconds.
  • 38,706 checked bags.
  • Nearly 9,800 rental car returns and 6,860 rental car pickups.
  • 59,702 people rode the PHX Sky Train®, compared to a daily average of 45,610 for 2026.
  • 22,469 total rideshare pickups and drop offs.
  • 1,000 taxi pickups and drop offs.

More than 51.6 million passengers travelled through Phoenix Sky Harbor in 2025 – the second time the airport has surpassed the 50 millionth passenger mark. Year-to-date, passenger traffic at PHX is up 2.3% compared to 2025.

“Passing this record during a busy spring weekend is very exciting for us,” said Aviation Director Chad Makovsky. “It shows it’s not just huge major event weekends that are attracting record levels of passengers to PHX, and it reinforces the needs for us to continue to work to enhance and expand our facilities. Our thanks go to airport staff, partners, and especially the Transportation Security Administration employees who demonstrated exceptional commitment to our passengers and community by providing unwavering service during the partial federal government shutdown where they continued to work despite not receiving pay. Together, our airport teams work to help ensure visitors have a positive, welcoming experience and want to come back to Phoenix again.”

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Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, America’s Friendliest Airport®, has an annual economic impact of more than $44 billion. On an average day, approximately 1,300 aircraft and more than 140,000 passengers arrive at and depart from Phoenix Sky Harbor. PHX Sky Harbor is funded with airport revenue. No tax dollars are used to support the airport.