TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — 2024 ushered in travel numbers that Tucson International Airport (TUS) hasn't seen since 2008.
"We're going to have over 4 million passengers this year, which speaks to the national trends that more people are getting out and traveling. 250,000 more people are using the airport this year than last year," said Austin Wright, chief communications officer for the Tucson Airport Authority.
Right now this follows a growing trend nationwide, after records were set over the summer season.
AAA Arizona says, these trends were something the country was seeing before COVID.
"We were locked down for a year or two, and there was all this pent up demand for travel afterward," said Julian Paredes, a spokesperson for AAA Arizona. "2023 was probably the most normal year, you know, post-pandemic, and then 2024 kind of carried over those trends."
TUS is expecting over 4 million passengers this year, clearing 2023 by over 250,000 passengers.
But more travelers are hitting the road,s too.
And Paredes says the reason more people are hitting the roads starts at the pumps.
"That's probably the biggest difference—is that gas prices have been very cheap compared to the last few years. That's another incentive why people are taking more road trips," said Paredes.
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Blake Phillips is a reporter for KGUN 9. Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Blake grew up in Sierra Vista. During his college tenure at the Missouri School of Journalism, Blake worked for the NBC affiliate KOMU-TV in Columbia. He is excited to return to a place he calls home and give back to the community in which he grew up. Share your story ideas and important issues with Blake by emailing blake.phillips@kgun9.com.
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