Denver International Airport Sets All-Time Passenger Traffic Record in 2023

Denver International Airport Sets All-Time Passenger Traffic Record in 2023

For those of us who have flown in or out of DIA last year we’ve noticed the busy terminal, security and full planes.

Well, today, January 31, 2024, Denver International Airport (DEN) announced full-year passenger and cargo traffic data for 2023. During the year, DEN’s carriers served 77,837,917 passengers, a 12.3% increase over the 69,286,461 passengers served in 2022, the previous record. 2023 is the first year in history DEN served more than 70 million annual passengers in a release sent to KOSI 101.1.

“2023 was a year of extraordinary growth for DEN and I am proud of the airport team for the ways that we have adjusted our strategies, invested in new technologies and worked to meet the moment while also continuing to prepare for the future,” said DEN CEO Phil Washington. “It is incumbent upon us to ensure the airport’s infrastructure can continue to accommodate the growth we expect and that’s why our Vision 100 strategic plan is focused on preparing the airport to serve 100 million annual passengers and serves as a blueprint to align DEN’s decision-making and accountability.”

In addition to 2023 ranking as DEN’s busiest year ever, the airport’s passenger traffic notched several notable milestones during the year. Every single month set an all-time record in terms of passenger traffic volume. In addition, DEN recorded its five busiest months in history during the year:

• July 2023 was DEN’s first-ever month with over seven million passengers and now ranks as DEN’s busiest month ever;
• October 2023 and August 2023 rank as DEN’s second- and third-busiest months ever, respectively, and both also recorded over seven million monthly passengers; and
• September 2023 and June 2023 round out the top five busiest months ever.

 

2023 marked the first year in history for DEN to exceed four million annual international passengers: a total of 4,036,545 international passengers used the airport in 2023, an increase of 21.5% as compared to 2022. 

DEN’s two largest carriers, United and Southwest, set all-time passenger records in 2023. United served more than 36 million passengers during the year and captured 46.8% of total DEN market share. Southwest captured 30.9% of total DEN market share on annual volume exceeding 24 million passengers.