MYR ‘busier than ever’ last month

The Myrtle Beach International Airport saw heavy foot traffic last month as it welcomed more than a 17 percent increase in passengers compared with the same time period last year, officials said.

A total of 273,756 passengers came through MYR, making for a 17.5 percent growth spurt, according to a news release from Kirk Lovell, director of air service and business development with Horry County Department of Airports.

Numbers show a total of 232,873, including enplanements and deplanements, passed through MYR during June of last year. The amount of people arriving on flights, or deplanements, totaled to 140,499, compared to 120,024 in 2016, the release states.

“For the first six-months of 2017 Myrtle Beach International Airport has welcomed a record breaking half-million people to the Grand Strand, said Scott Van Moppes, director of airports, in the release.

“In June the Airport was busier than ever, welcoming 17-percent more people than last year and a staggering 67-percent more than in 2012. Based on passenger trends and year-over- year capacity increases by our airlines partners we anticipate the Airports passenger’s counts to remain strong through summer and into the fall. Myrtle Beach, SC is one of the top destinations in the United States and demand for convenient air travel options is strong and continues to grow.”

This story was originally published July 18, 2017 at 7:20 AM with the headline "MYR ‘busier than ever’ last month."