Feb. 16, 2023

PHOENIX – Monday, Feb. 13, marked a milestone day for America’s Friendliest Airport® as more than 200,000 visitors came through the airport. This is the single busiest day in Phoenix Sky Harbor International’s history. The airport, which served more than 44 million passengers in 2022, has an average of 120,000 passengers come through its doors on an average day.

“Super Bowl LVII set records across the City of Phoenix, and that could not be more evident than at our airport,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego. “These numbers speak to the appeal of Phoenix and Arizona as a destination for high caliber events. Our airport is our front door, and I couldn’t be more proud of the work that went in to preparing for these record-breaking numbers.”

This was the fourth time Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport welcomed visitors to the area for the Big Game. Planning began more than a year ago as the airport worked closely with the airlines, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), law enforcement, concessionaires, and the Super Bowl Host Committee to prepare. Combined with the Super Bowl, the Valley of the Sun also welcomed visitors coming in for the W.M. Phoenix Open golf tournament. This resulted in the significant influx of passengers coming through airport facilities.

Overall, Phoenix Sky Harbor saw the following on Monday, Feb. 13:

• 1,691 takeoffs and landings – compared to 1,200 on an average day
• No wait time at the TSA security checkpoints was more than 22 minutes
• 90,244 passengers screened including charter and private aircraft operations. Of this, TSA screened 83,914 passengers through their checkpoints, making PHX the busiest airport in the nation.
• 47,206 total checked bags including terminal and charter operations
• 2,132 bags checked using the Early Bag Check service
• More than 9,100 rental car returns and more than 5,600 rental car pick-ups
• Nearly 50,000 people rode the PHX Sky Train®
• 1,367 total taxi operations (pickups and drop offs)
• 23,657 total rideshare operations (pickups and drop offs)
• 313 business/corporate flight operations (arrivals and departures)
• 12 charter operations

Many airport partners brought in additional staff just for the event. The TSA also brought in extra K-9 teams to assist with security screening. And, there were extra volunteers on hand as well. More than 80 volunteer Navigators and Navigator Buddy therapy dog teams were in the terminals. There were also 45 volunteers from the Super Bowl Host Committee.

Phoenix’s general aviation airports were also busy.  At Phoenix Deer Valley Airport, they had 135 aircraft come in for the Big Game. On Monday, there were 91 operations. At Phoenix Goodyear Airport, they had 130 aircraft come in for the Super Bowl, and total operations for Monday was 137.

“We received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from travelers about their experience,” said Director of Aviation Services Chad Makovsky. “As America’s Friendliest Airport^®, we take great pride in ensuring our passengers have a warm, welcoming, and positive experience. We’re constantly working to enhance our facilities to meet the evolving needs of our customers when traveling through our airport. While our entire airport community is experienced at welcoming visitors for major events, they exceeded my expectations as they worked tirelessly over the last year to ensure fans and visitors alike had a positive and memorable experience.”

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Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, America’s Friendliest Airport^®, has an annual economic impact of more than $38 billion. On an average day, approximately 1,200 aircraft and more than 120,000 passengers arrive at and depart from Phoenix Sky Harbor every day. PHX Sky Harbor is funded with airport revenue. No tax dollars are used to support the airport.