DENVER — Denver International Airport will no longer have a TSA security checkpoint option 24 hours per day. The security changes at one of the world's busiest airports will begin Sunday.
Denver International Airport (DIA) will no longer have a TSA security checkpoint or bag scanning from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. daily.
Airport officials said the last flight at DIA is at 12:59 a.m. and the earliest flight is at 5 a.m.
"This change was made to ensure that our staff is allocated at the appropriate times throughout the day when flights are operating when we have the most, or more, people coming through the security checkpoints," TSA said in a statement.
"That allows us to keep additional lanes open because the people who are not working for those two hours can work when more people are coming through the security checkpoint. That’s just how we keep our operation as efficient as possible," the statement continued. "TSA has made the decision to keep the checkpoint open when travelers need to be screened. It has been briefed multiple times to airport stakeholders including airlines, airport staff and concessionaires. Once again, this change goes into effect Sunday, May 5."
"TSA informed us that they would be making this decision as part of a staffing reallocation effort and to make their operations more efficient," DIA said in a statement. "Based on the TSA data that informed this decision, significant passenger impacts are not expected as there are currently no scheduled flight departures after 1 a.m."
New DIA security times beginning May 5
- Bridge security: 4:30 a.m. – 5:45 p.m.
- South security: 3 a.m. – 1 a.m.
- West security: 4 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
DIA was the sixth-busiest airport in the world in 2023 and the third-busiest in the U.S.
Denver's airport fell three positions from 2022 to 2023, even through last year was the airport's busiest on record. In 2023, DIA served 77,837,917 passengers, a 12.3% increase over the 69,286,461 passengers served in 2022.
DIA airport achieved its highest-ever position in 2021 and 2022 when the airport ranked as both the third-busiest airport in the United States and the world. The airport said its position in the global rankings has risen sharply in recent years due to the recovery of domestic travel demand following the pandemic and the opening of new gates.
10 Busiest Airports in the World in 2023
- Atlanta - 107,621,451
- Dubai - 86,994,365
- Dallas-Fort Worth - 81,755,538
- London-Heathrow - 79,183,364
- Tokyo-Haneda - 78,719,302
- Denver - 77,837,917
- Istanbul - 76,027,321
- Los Angeles - 75,050,875
- Chicago-O'Hare - 73,894,226
- Delhi - 72,214-841
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