Denver International Airport is on track to reach 100 million passengers annually by 2027, years ahead of schedule. Vision 100, the airport’s strategic plan to reach that number ahead of its 50th anniversary in 2045, originally planned to hit the mark between 2030 and 2035.
The projection was released in the airport's second annual Economic, Social and Governance Report which found that 77.8 million passengers came through DIA in 2023, a 12.3 percent increase over the year before.
Airport CFO, Mike Nakornkhet, said the numbers can be tied to the increase in people traveling here both during the years easing out of the pandemic and now as the state continues to gain a reputation as an exciting travel destination.
“I think we've seen a significant growth in all segments of travel, including both business leisure as well as connecting travel throughout the airport. And that has led to the positive trends that we've seen in our passenger numbers where we've exceeded our all-time highs,” Nakornkhet said. “This year we are going to hit 82 million passengers or more, and we're well on track to reach the a hundred million passenger mark before the previously anticipated timeline.”
The boost in travelers has made DIA the 6th busiest airport in the world behind Dallas-Fort Worth, London Heathrow, Tokyo International, Dubai International, and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International airports.
DIA also saw a 7.5 percent increase in total aircraft operations from 2022 to 2023. Last year also marked the first time it exceeded four million international passengers in a single year.
However, it appears that the rapid growth has also resulted in fewer satisfied customers. A J.D. Power survey shows DIA ranked 12th out of 20 mega airports in 2024, falling five slots from 2023. That annual survey looks at six factors: terminal facilities; arrival/departure areas; baggage claim; security check; check-in/baggage check; and food, beverage and retail.
The lower rating comes as DIA continues to work through renovations to its $1.3 billion Grand Hall which began in 2022 and is set to wrap up in 2027.
The ESG report shows the East security checkpoint is now expected to open to passengers in the fall of 2025. It’ll include 17 screening lanes with the same tech passengers are accustomed to in the West terminal and could help the airport claw its way back to higher customer service ratings.
“Every airport has its cycles where you go through a construction period and then when the construction ends, customer satisfaction usually improves after that. But it's not just security, right? It's really about being aware of the entire passenger experience throughout,” Nakornkhet said.
Another thing the airport is working on is its ability to react to winter weather. DIA has expanded its snow removal operations since 2022, replacing more than 50 pieces of snow equipment with state-of-the-art machines and improving contractual services to better service ramps and de-ice parking lots and tarmacs.
“From a data digitization standpoint, we made the shift to transition from a manual management process to a more data-driven digital process so that we can more efficiently manage the way we maintain the snow operations,” Nakornkhet said.
The J.D. Power survey also found that a key performance indicator separating the top dogs from everyone else was unique décor, signage, stores and restaurants that celebrate the region, which means DIA’s marketing team “embracing the unbelievable,” a nod towards various airport conspiracy theories during its remodel, could also benefit customer experience ratings down the line.
A 15-month economic impact study was also completed in 2023 by an outside consultant. It shows DIA contributed $36.4 billion to the state’s economy in 2023, employing 40,000 people and supporting more than 200,000 jobs overall.
That study projects that when DIA reaches 100 million annual passengers, the airport will be supporting more than 440,000 jobs with a total economic impact of $71.3 billion. But expanding capacity and economic impact isn’t the only thing the airport is concerned with.
“Denver International Airport is the largest economic engine in the state, and not every airport gets to say that. That's a tremendous responsibility that we are aware of,” Nakornkhet said. “[DIA] is working to expand in a way that is mindful of the environment, that is mindful of social impacts, and that has the highest level of integrity from a governance standpoint.”
According to the ESG report, DIA is also working to improve its environmental and social impact by increasing its waste reduction efforts and bolstering employee training on human trafficking.
The ESG report shows that 21 percent of the airport’s trash was diverted to recycling or compost in 2023. The airport’s Solid Waste Action Plan is set to be completed this year outlining a path to increasing that number by 5 percent annually to meet the city’s ambitious goal of achieving a 50 percent diversion rate across the community by 2027.
In addition, 86% of DIA’s public-facing employees have completed training on human trafficking as the airport endeavors to aid the FAA in cracking down on the crime.
The effort comes as the Common Sense Institute of Colorado found that Colorado had the nation’s 10th highest number of human trafficking reports at 84 in total in 2023, the most on record and a 35 percent increase from 2022. Denver County, which includes the airport, had the third most cases in the state from 2008 to 2024 with 18 percent taking place there.
This jump could be due in part to the increase in trained airport personnel. The report noted that since implementing the additional training for staff, the number of cases reported at the airport has increased.
The airport also celebrated a few other accomplishments in 2023 including breaking ground on the Center of Equity and Excellence in Aviation, which aims to get more women and minorities into aviation jobs; opening the new Taxiway EE; refunding $628 million of its subordinate airport revenue bonds, the refinancing effort will save DIA more than $46 million over the next 20 years; and capping sixty-four oil and gas wells across airport property.
