North Carolina Airport Sets New Annual Passenger Record

Travel is booming! That is evidenced by new numbers released that show that a North Carolina airport set a new annual passenger record. That airport? Wilmington's ILM. According to a press release put out by ILM today, the airport served a record 1,317,897 passengers in 2023.  This number is more than 21% higher than the previous record! This is great for locals who now have more flight options on American, Avelo, Delta, United, and Sun Country Airlines. It's also a benefit to the area's tourism connecting Wilmington and its beaches to the world.

“We have a growing number of airlines and a growing number of nonstops. All the new service, along with our legacy service from American, Delta, and United, is great for our community offering a great mix of service.  This increase in seats and record numbers means more choices, more convenience, and lower fares,” stated Jeff Bourk, ILM Airport Director.

Even more impressive is that the data showed that ILM is the fastest-growing North Carolina airport and the 4^th fastest-growing airport in the U.S. ILM had 23% seat capacity growth, compared to the NC average of 14% and a national average of 10%. ILM offers direct flights to the following US Cities:

Read the full press release here.

7.52 passengers per 10 square meters of terminal space, that's what the North Carolina airport that data shows is the second most crowded nationwide, sees daily. Our friends at S Money researched the floor size of passenger terminals for 128 of the world’s busiest airports. They took that data and then compared this with the average daily passenger numbers each airport receives. This led them to the data of the most crowded airports around the world. They also refined this data for just North America which is what was of interest to me. I, as am most US citizens, more often fly domestically than internationally. Though I'll take an excuse to go international no questions asked!

The most crowded US airports include several of the ones you'd most expect. Places like Atlanta and LAX welcome huge numbers of passengers so it makes sense that they would be included on this list. But would you have guessed a North Carolina airport not only made the list but almost topped it? At first, I was surprised but then I remembered the state of the airport when I returned from Florida a few weeks ago. Yes, the crowds were the result of a complete afternoon of delays. I was still shocked at the number of people and lack of space to even exit the terminal and the airport.

I'd never seen anything quite like it, and hope I don't for a long time! Think you know which airport I'm talking about? Keep reading to see the top 9 most crowded airports in North America. Data is provided by S Money. You can read their full study and methodology here. Maybe that two hours early rule needs to be extended a little bit. You can never be too early at the airport in my opinion. Happy traveling!

4.52 passengers per 10 square meters

LaGuadria sitting in Queens, NY is one of the most popular airports for travelers heading to New York City. That in itself should give you a pretty good idea of how crowded it can get.

4.63 passengers per 10 square meters

A Delta hub Boston's Logan International Airport serves as the airline's second largest. Numerous international flights especially to Europe depart from Logan daily.

4.9 passengers per 10,000 square meters

The main airport serving Chicago and Illinois is O'Hare. You'll find over 200 daily non-stop flights across the US, as well as to Europe, South America, Asia, the Caribbean, and other international destinations.

5.12 passengers per 10,000 square meters

George Bush Intercontinental Airport is one of the world's busiest so of course it's also one of the most crowded. It sits on 10,000 acres and has 5 runways.

Based on sheer traffic the Atlanta airport is the world's busiest (and why as much as I hate the drive to Atlanta, I'll make it over flying there!). It's also the primary Delta hub.

Newark is another popular gateway to the city that never sleeps. And it's a crowded one, ranking 4th overall on this list.

If the New York area is included you know that the other side of the country must be as well. Los Angeles International Airport or LAX is the largest airport on the west coast and one of the primary hubs for international travel.

And the second most crowded airport in North America? Charlotte Douglas International. And after arriving at 10pm a few weekends ago after hours of delays across the country, I can attest to this. Getting out of the airport I was dodging people the same way you would trying to leave a playoff football game that went in to overtime and just ended. It was a zoo.

And the most crowded North American airport? Seattle-Tacoma International. They average 10.19 passengers per 10 square meters. I've actually flown into this airport but don't remember it being particularly crowded. That however was several years ago!