Federal Aviation Administration data shows 2018 was the busiest year on record for Alabama’s largest airport.

The latest data available from the federal agency shows more people boarded flights at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth in 2018 than in any year since 2008. About 1.46 million people flew out of Birmingham total, followed by about 581,000 outbound passengers from the Huntsville International Airport, the second busiest air hub in the state.

Birmingham’s Airport Authority President Ronald Mathieu attributed the increase to the economy doing well.

He says that growth is expected to be reflected in 2019’s numbers, too.

 (Associated Press, copyright 2019)

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