Denver International Airport broke a record over the Labor Day period – screening 428,182 passengers over six days to board flights — the latest in a year of records at a U.S. air transport hub built to handle far fewer people.

DIA managers saw the Labor Day surge as a test run for a fast-approaching future bringing 100 million travelers a year, anticipated as early as 2027, five years sooner than previously projected. That would double the capacity DIA was built for when it opened in 1995 with 33 miles of runways and taxiways on 53 square miles northeast of Denver. They’re focused on a race to clear major hurdles for handling that many people pressing to get to where they want to go.

Two days before the surge, the airport’s internal rail system broke down, shooting white sparks as electric currents arced, forcing emergency track repairs and messing up weekend plans for travelers who had to book and re-book flights missed while stuck in terminal crowds. However, the trains ran on their regular 2-minute intervals over the next six days, ferrying 955,000 passengers mostly without problems, though a software glitch on Aug. 30 caused a six-minute shutdown.

Beyond train woes (a new train car is scheduled to begin service this month), Transportation Security Administration wait lines loom as an intensifying challenge. DIA officials claimed an average wait time between 7 and 11 minutes around Labor Day with a maximum wait of 39 minutes.

Airport chief executive Phil Washington called DIA’s performance over Labor Day “a good test for the 100 million” but added he’s far from comfortable.

“The crowds are getting to be more and more, increasing out here. I’m never really satisfied with how we are processing people through,” Washington said.

“People are prioritizing travel all over the world and we are one of ‘those’ airports,” he said. “We could have improved on the Labor Day period. But we did get folks through with that average wait time between 7 and 11 minutes.” Moving people quickly through the airport, he said, is the current top priority.

The record number of passengers cleared for flights around Labor Day reflects a steady post-pandemic increase that puts DIA on track to reach 82 million passengers by the end of 2024, up from 69 million in 2019.

The 428,182 passengers around Labor Day exceeded the record set in 2023 of 422,992 by 1.2% and the previous 2019 record of 408,424 by almost 5%, according to TSA passenger-screening data. Those numbers don’t include travelers connecting from one flight to another in DIA and those arriving to stay in Colorado.

Hurdles for handling 100 million

The increasing travel through DIA is driving a race to complete large-scale construction projects launched five years ago to expand the airport’s operational capacity.

DIA’s Great Hall under the signature tent-topped roof, conceived in the early 1990s as a place for people to be together as travelers arrive and depart, will be devoted to the nation’s post-9/11 terrorism security priority.  DIA officials say the overhaul will be done in 2027 after a restructuring and budget increase from $770 million to $2.1 billion.

A key hurdle will be ensuring the best possible customer service amid construction disruptions, Washington said, referring to the internal trains, baggage-moving systems, and communications to reach drivers approaching on Pena Boulevard.

DIA workers face another major challenge in maintaining existing escalators, elevators, and moving sidewalks – ensuring “a state of good repair” to handle 100 million people, Washington said. More than 300 conveyors move people in DIA.

A third main hurdle requires “maintaining our pace” on other construction projects, including the addition of 11 aircraft gates on the C Concourse and the implementation of faster security screening systems, he said. An east security checkpoint, bringing 17 new passenger screening lanes, is scheduled to open by August 2025.

DIA’s federally run security systems have been able to process 150 travelers an hour per lane. The latest 17-lane west checkpoint, and the new east checkpoint, are designed to screen 240 travelers an hour per lane. DIA officials before Labor Day expanded access to an online reservation system that lets travelers at the west checkpoint “skip the line” by making appointments for their screening. They’re mulling whether to use a reservation system at both checkpoints in the future.

Overall, “it is like remodeling your house while you still live in it,” Washington said. “We cannot close this place down.”

Rising demand for DIA

Airlines’ commercial decision-making is driving the expansion. DIA officials this year announced a 13-hour nonstop route to Istanbul, the longest flight from DIA, opening access to Asia and Africa. They’re adding other expanded international flights this winter, including 14% more nonstop flights to Europe.  Denver officials also are exploring more nonstop flights to Tokyo and a new direct route to Africa with a refueling stop between DIA and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

In addition, DIA negotiators have identified “the three largest underserved international markets” in Rome, Italy; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; and Amsterdam, Netherlands, airport spokesman Michael Konopasek said. “Due to the large demand, these are all targets for new service. We continue conversations with airline partners for new and expanded service.”

“Our facilities have to be not just average. They have to be exceptional. That goes to our through-put of passengers. That goes to safety. That goes to our partnerships with airlines, who see us as a major hub,” Washington said. “We want to be the greenest, most efficient, and easiest to navigate airport in the world.”

Originally Published: September 13, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.