Traffic continues on the upswing at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

A press release from the city-owned airport said Thursday, Jan. 31, that the 94-year-old airport served 9,642,729 passengers in 2018, a 5.5% increase over 2017.

“The continued growth in passengers flying to and from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is a testament to the airport’s focus on growing air service and the quality of the traveling public’s experience,” said Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.

The release said Cleveland Hopkins is Ohio’s busiest commercial airport. Its closest competitor is John Glenn Columbus International Airport, which serves just under eight million passengers annually. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, in Hebron, Ky., serves just over eight million passengers annually.

Cleveland Hopkins has an average of 147 daily departures to 51 nonstop destinations.

Earlier this month, Robert Kennedy, the airport system’s director, predicted the airport would serve 10.1 million passengers in 2019. Kennedy attributed the growth in recent years in part to a 30% average decline in fares since 2014, the year United Airlines ended service from Hopkins to dozens of midsized and smaller cities when it closed its hub operation in Cleveland.

“The dynamics of our airport continue to change as we continue to grow,” said Kennedy in the release. “We continue to make necessary accommodations for our guests and add amenities to ensure not only are more people choosing CLE, but they are returning to CLE.”