Airline passenger traffic at Tucson International Airport (TIA) is up nearly 3% compared to last year during the first five months of 2008. Traffic for the month of May was also up slightly at 0.26%.

“It’s encouraging news for the community and the airlines serving Tucson,” said Tucson Airport Authority President and CEO Bonnie Allin. “Although the airlines are facing significant financial challenges with rising fuel costs, Tucson has a record of weathering the ups and downs of the aviation industry quite well.”

Allin adds, “While we anticipate a reduction in passenger growth over the next few months due to the airlines modifying their system-wide flight schedules as they make capacity reductions to cope with the current economic conditions, we are confident that Tucsonans will continue to have excellent travel options and competitive fares at TIA.”