SAN DIEGO -- More than 20 million passengers went through the gates at Lindbergh Field in 2015, marking a calendar-year milestone, airport officials said Thursday.
"Crossing the 20-million-pasenger threshold is an important and meaningful milestone," said Thella Bowens, president and CEO of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. "But more important is the fact that the airport has seen consistent and sustainable growth in the post-recession years."
The total of 20,081,258 passengers was a 7.1 percent jump over 2014, according to airport authority data.
International passengers totaled 698,754, a 3.8 percent increase.
In 2014, the total passenger count was 18.8 million. Airport records show that growth has been steady at Lindbergh Field throughout its 88-year history, aside from the occasional recession.
Lindbergh Field also saw the total number of flights involving aircraft with 60 or more seats increase to a record 165,000 last year. Airport officials said that's a sign that airlines are using larger planes for their short-haul routes.
Bowens attributed the increases to a number of factors, including the improved economy and robust tourism industry.
