“It’s extremely rewarding to finish 2010 with record-breaking numbers,” said Aviation Manager Kim Day. “We saw the signs that we might break our 2008 record during the fourth quarter of last year, but actually surpassing the 52 million passenger mark exceeds our earlier expectations. We hope this milestone is a signal that we, as a region, are emerging from the sluggish economy.”

Passenger traffic for December 2010 surpassed figures for the same month of 2008 and 2009, making it the busiest December in airport history. Last December saw 206,064 more passengers than in 2009, an increase of 5.1 percent, and 136,240 more than in 2008, a 3.3 percent increase over that benchmark year. When combined with last month’s announcement that November 2010 is now the busiest November on record, this news means that Denver’s bustling airport also saw its busiest holiday travel season in 2010.

It is also believed that the record for the busiest single day in DIA history was broken in 2010. Formerly the busiest day documented was Sunday, July 6, 2008 with 176,287 people passing through the facility. The new busiest day in airport history appears to be Tuesday, June 1, 2010 with 177,792 passengers reported. June 1, 2010 breaks the old with record with 1,505 more passengers, an increase of 0.85 percent.

Additionally, December brought a 3.6 percent increase in flight operations, which rose from 51,648 in 2009, to 53,530 in 2010.