San Francisco International Airport set another record for passenger traffic last year, airport officials said Friday.
Last year 47.2 million passengers traveled through the airport, setting a passenger traffic record for the third year in a row. Traffic grew 4.8 percent from a year ago.
San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee said the record solidifies the airport’s status as a world-class destination for travelers. He added that the airport is a powerful economic engine in the Bay Area.
The airport generated nearly 36,400 jobs and $6.3 billion in business activity in fiscal year 2013-2014, according to data provided by the mayor’s office. Including related offsite business activities, the airport’s contribution to the Bay Area economy was $35.4 billion in sales and about 155,800 jobs.
Regional Gross Domestic Product for the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward Metropolitan Statistical Area was about $388 billion in 2013, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Airport operations also generated $2.5 billion in state and local tax revenue fiscal year 2013-2014.
Airport officials expect the growth in traffic to continue this year, led primarily by increases in international traffic.
In April, Turkish Airlines will start nonstop service to Istanbul. This summer, several airlines will be increasing traffic either through added flights or larger aircraft.
Keith Burbank, Bay City News
