(COLORADO SPINRGS) — Foot traffic is flying high at the Colorado Springs Airport, as they saw the highest number of travelers in 22 years.

With more than a million passengers boarding planes at COS, the airport had a record-breaking year in 2022.

The smaller airport is bringing in more planes and offering more flights, while still keeping lines short and security running smooth. And as more seats are available, people are filling them up.

“Denver can be a little bit more of a process to go through, especially going through a train. But this one’s just a walk in the park,” said Isaac Richmond, a flyer a COS Airport. “I work for GCU. So we chaperon kids out of Colorado Springs airport so they can come check out the college in person. And it’s just very convenient so we love it.”

There was about a 15% uptick in passengers by the end of 2022. Even Southwest cancellations during December didn’t stop numbers from soaring.

“In December there were some operational challenges throughout the month. And even with that, we saw a load factor of 78%. A load factor is the percentage of the plane that’s occupied,” said Dana Schield, Senior Public Communications Specialist.

January has kept with this record-breaking pace, with travel numbers going strong so far 2023. With added flights and even a new airline soon landing at the airport, the airport is excited about future expansion plans.

“Sun Country airlines will begin seasonal service in June of this year to Minneapolis. Delta will also begin in Minneapolis nonstop in June, and they are resuming their Atlanta flight as well,” said Schield.

You’ll soon see construction at the airport as they start updating concourses in sections. You can see all the long-term plans in the COS Airport Master Plan.