Denver International Airport served nearly 32.2 million passengers in the first half of 2022, a 30.2% increase from the first half of 2021 and down only 1.6% from the same time in 2019, according to the airport’s latest passenger traffic data published Friday.

According to a news release, DIA’s passenger recovery ranks among the highest, which the airport attributes to a “strong demand for travel to and from Denver” and “a high volume of connecting passengers.”

DIA continues to be the third-busiest airport worldwide according to recent data from the Airports Council International, with only Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport ranking higher.

“We are optimistic about our passenger growth for the remainder of the year and expect to finish close to or slightly above our 2019 record of 69 million passengers,” said DIA CEO Phil Washington in a news release.

According to the news release, passenger traffic at DIA during February, March and April exceeded that of 2019. The airport says that June 2022 was “the busiest month ever for international passenger traffic at DEN.”

United is the airport’s top carrier, capturing 47.2% of all Denver passengers during the first half of 2022, the airport said. Southwest ranks as the second-largest carrier with 30.2% followed by Frontier with 9.1%.

The airport has also said that its air service network continues to show signs of recovery. Three new domestic destinations have been added to Denver’s nonstop network going into the second half of 2022.

As the first half of 2022 came to a close, airlines through DIA offered nonstop flights to 214 destinations spanning 13 countries.