PEORIA, Ill. – An all-time passenger mark has been set at Peoria International Airport with time left to build on it.
The airport announced on Wednesday that 741,724 passengers have gone through the gates in 2025 through the month of November. That’s higher than the 689,416 passengers in all of 2019, the previous record mark.
Director of Airports Gene Olson says two factors helped contribute to the record.
“The airlines have increased the number of seats that are available out of Peoria, and the other factor is that central Illinois people are buying the tickets on those airplanes,” Olson said.
Olson credits the addition of direct flights to Denver this year as another factor in the passenger growth. He says that addition has given central Illinois passengers not just direct flights to the Mile High City, but a way to explore the west coast on connecting flights.
Olson is hopeful the airport can reach the 800,000 passenger mark by the end of the year, and believes a busy Christmas travel season can lead to that mark.
The airport also announced that 62,474 passengers came through the gates in November. Olson says there were concerns about the numbers, due to the government shutdown and a Thanksgiving weekend winter storm.
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