The Des Moines airport got really busy in June. 

The latest numbers show an overall increase of 5.9 percent year over year, with 251,265 total passengers in June — the highest number of monthly passengers in airport history, according to a release from the Des Moines Airport Authority.

It also marks the first time the airport surpassed 250,000 passengers in a single month.

“The sustained and record-breaking growth of passengers coming through our facilities is a great indicator of the health of Iowa’s economy,” said Kevin J. Foley, executive director of the authority, which oversees the airport’s operations. “Continued growth underscores the need for a new terminal and improvements to our existing infrastructure to ensure we have modern facilities with adequate capacity to maintain a positive experience for travelers to and from Iowa. We’re excited to be a part of charting a strong future for our state.”

Passenger traffic at Des Moines International Airport rose 2.9 percent in May over the same month in 2017. 

What airline did passengers use in June? The market share was dominated by American (31 percent), Delta (25 percent) and United (21 percent). 

Earlier this year, officials shared results of the study for a new terminal. The next step in the process for modernizing the airport is an Environmental Assessment, which is in progress. Managing Editor Perry Beeman wrote about the airport’s future in this article.