Passenger Boost Sets New Record At BWI

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A boost in passengers at BWI Thurgood Marshall sets a new record for the airport. New numbers released this week show 2015 was a banner year for airlines.

Gigi Barnett has more on why the airport is seeing the boom.

More than 23 million passengers flew in and out of BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport last year. That's a new all-time record for the airport.

What's causing the trend? The boost in cities and airlines offering seats.

"With new airlines and added service to new markets, 2015 was a new all-time record for passenger traffic," said Jonathan Dean, BWI spokesperson.

And it's not just on domestic destinations. International flights are taking off, too, thanks to more global cities on the departures list.

"We had about 32 percent growth in international passengers for the year," Dean said.

Snugged between Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, BWI's location has always been a draw for passengers in the region, making the task of getting here and getting on a flight very easy.

"B-W Parkway, and I am here. I absoutely love it," one woman said.

"My niece also lives ten minutes away, so she drives us," another woman said. "Perfect."

The previous passenger traffic record was set in 2012. Back then, a little more than 22.5 million people flew in and out of BWI Thurgood Marshall.

Passenger traffic last year grew nearly seven percent from 2014.