By The Star Staff
Aerostar Puerto Rico President Jorge Hernández announced Wednesday that Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina saw its highest monthly number of travelers since 2005 with 1,018,896 passengers registered for March.
Hernández noted the record number represents an increase of 85,469 travelers compared to the 918,236 who transited through the airport in March 2022.
The Aerostar chief said the flow of cruise passengers and others traveling on spring break in the United States, along with tourism in general, contributed to the rise recorded last month. He added that Aerostar’s projection is that passenger traffic will increase between 5% and 10% throughout the year, and especially during the summer months.
“The passenger records achieved in calendar year 2022, with 10.3 million, and those recorded in March this year are very positive signs of recovery of the industry,” Hernández said. “The increase in passenger traffic anticipates good prospects for the tourism sector, and also for Puerto Rico, as it represents tourism revenues, job creation and greater economic activity.”
He added that since Aerostar assumed the operation of the island’s main air terminal in 2013, the company has made a total net investment of $274 million in capital improvements and new services with the aim of attracting more passengers and making the island a more competitive destination. Among the measures, he mentioned the remodeling of Terminal D, the expansion of parking and the creation of a $2.1 million fund to incentivize airlines to increase their seating capacity.
The traffic drawn to the island in March came mostly from the mainland United States. Places of origin include Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa in Florida, as well as Newark, N.J., Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago and Houston, and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.