Air travel in the Twin Cities hasn’t quite surpassed pre-pandemic records, but it’s getting closer.

On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) announced that nearly 35 million passengers took flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport last year. That marked an 11% year-over-year increase from 2022.

The airport hit an all-time record in 2019, when it served 39.6 million passengers.

MAC officials said the latest bump in ridership was fueled by the return and expansion of international flights from MSP. In 2023, there were 2.98 million international passengers at MSP, up a whopping 47% over the prior year. Also last year, the airport resumed service to Tokyo, one of its largest destinations, and began offering WestJet flights to western Canada.

Despite the increase in international passengers, domestic flights still made up the vast majority of MSP’s flights, with Delta retaining its position as the dominant carrier at the airport. The airport is projecting a 10% increase in departing seats in 2024.

“We are encouraged by the rebound in international service to new and existing destinations,” Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) CEO Brain Rykes said in a statement.

Although the average number of seats leaving the airport totaled more than 55,000 every day, MSP is looking to continue its growth this year on the back of international travel. The airport is planning to add WestJet service to Saskatchewan this spring and resume Aer Lingus flights to Dublin — something on hiatus since the pandemic.

Additionally, European airline Lufthansa is set to become MSP’s 18th airline when it launches service from Minnesota to Germany this summer. In a statement, MAC chair Rick King said the airport’s partnership with local companies will help travelers explore more corners of the world.

“Lufthansa’s air service adds another year-round gateway to Europe and beyond that will benefit business and leisure travelers into the future,” King said.