June 2015 MYR arrivals top 2011 June record

A record 112,500 passengers flew into Myrtle Beach in June, beating the June record in 2011of nearly 109,000, officials said Wednesday.

Year-to-date figures for arrivals at MYR also show an increase to 430,565 passengers, up from 417,831 during the same six months last year.

Wednesday’s arrival figures include first-year June flights on Allegiant Airlines from Akron-Canton, Ohio; Indianapolis, Ind.; Orlando, Fla.; Clarksburg, W. Va.; and Pittsburgh, Pa.

“As a result of a strong airline industry and the popularity of the Myrtle Beach market, passenger traffic at the Myrtle Beach International Airport is trending above previous years,” Pat Apone, Horry County’s director of airports, said in a news release. “June passenger traffic is up 7 percent over 2014, 16 percent over 2013 and 33 percent over 2012.”

Brad Dean, president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, said officials anticipated a record year for the airport and hope to “greatly exceed the previous all-time record level of [arriving passengers].

“As expected, the airport continues to show record growth during the main tourism season, largely due to increased capacity from key airline partners,” Dean said in a statement. “This is a very positive sign for our local tourism economy, as many of our first-time visitors travel here by air. For airlines, success begets success. A good 2015 could lead to more increases in capacity next year.”

This story was originally published July 22, 2015 at 3:36 PM with the headline "June 2015 MYR arrivals top 2011 June record."