Passenger traffic at Milwaukee County’s General Mitchell International Airport was up by more than 10 percent in April, a boost attributed largely to increased international traffic. April passenger traffic was 615,706, an increase of 10.2% from the 558,643 passengers recorded in April, 2016.

“International traffic was up due to our new Volaris service to Guadalajara, Mexico and an extended spring break travel season, which was longer due to Easter occurring in April this year,” County Executive Abele said. “Increased passenger traffic is always great news for our community. As more travelers choose MKE, airlines tend to respond by adding service. Southwest announced new nonstops to Nashville and Cleveland last month, while Alaska Airlines launched flights to Portland earlier this week.”

Increased flights to Mexico and the Caribbean, flown by Norwegian in partnership with Milwaukee-based FunJet Vacations and Apple Vacations, also helped propel the higher passenger numbers. So far this year, total passenger traffic at MKE is up 2.7% from the first four months of 2016. International traffic is 18 percent higher.