A record-shattering 3.13 million passengers were screened by the Transportation Security Administration across US airports on Sunday, according to the agency.
“Yesterday, TSA screened about 3,133,924 individuals, the highest number ever in TSA’s history, bringing our Top 10 busiest days all above 3M,” the TSA announced Monday on X.
The number surpassed a previous record of over 3.09 million passengers on June 22, according to statistics shared by the agency.
The top 10 busiest days of TSA traffic all occurred within the last two years, data showed. The third busiest day also happened to be the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2024.
The record comes less than a month after the historic government shutdown ended, which threw airports across the nation into chaos amid staffing shortages.
The 43-day shutdown forced the Federal Aviation Administration to impose sweeping flight cuts in 40 major US cities, as TSA employees and air traffic controllers missed multiple paychecks.
The restrictions were officially lifted on Nov. 17 after a review of safety trends and a decline in “staffing-trigger events” in air traffic control facilities following the shutdown.
TSA officers who went “above and beyond” while working without pay would get $10,000 bonuses, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced earlier this month.
The decision came just ahead of the busy holiday travel season.
