Tampa International’s predictions of a record-breaking spring break season were spot on: last week the airport saw its single heaviest day of passenger traffic.
More than 90,000 passengers passed through on Sunday, March 19, according to Transportation Safety Administration data. A normal day sees between 60,000-65,000 passengers, according to spokesperson Emily Nipps.
“We were expecting this year’s spring break period to be record-breaking at TPA, and we haven’t been disappointed,” said Adam Bouchard, the airport’s vice president of operation, in a statement.
Five of the busiest 10 passenger days on record have occurred in recent weeks. The second-busiest day ever was Saturday, March 11, with about 89,000 passengers. Coming in a close third was Saturday, March 18, at approximately 88,000.
March 18 and March 19 appear to have been the busiest weekend in the airport’s history.
Before this month, the previous record travel day was 86,000 on March 20, 2022.
The spring break period saw an average of 550 average daily flights, up from about 450-500 on other days of the year, said Nipps.
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