Sacramento airport rebounding from COVID pandemic. Here are the numbers

Passenger traffic at Sacramento International Airport rose in May to its highest point — by far — since the start of the pandemic, the latest airport statistics show.

About 821,000 passengers boarded or disembarked at SMF in May, well more than double the traffic seen in December. During normal years, passenger traffic in May is only modestly higher than traffic in December.

As recently as February, SMF saw just 369,000 passengers. In May 2020, amid covid lockdowns, SMF saw only 148,000 passengers.

Passenger totals remain below pre-pandemic levels. In May 2019, about 1,152,000 passengers boarded or disembarked at SMF. SMF traffic last month was similar to traffic seen in May between 2015 and 2017.

This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 10:22 AM.