As of November, 3,671,219 people have flown in and out of Charleston International Airport in 2017. November 2017 passenger counts rose 6.6 percent over last year and nearly topped the year-end 2016 record of 3,708,076 fliers.

The November tally brings the airport near a new record of 4 million passengers.

“There are more destinations, more planes and bigger planes flying in and out of the airport now than there was just five years ago. Business is booming for our airlines and as they grow we grow with them,” said Paul G. Campbell Jr., executive director and CEO of the Charleston County Aviation Authority. “Hitting 4 million passengers is a significant milestone for Charleston International. We’ve gone from a small-town airport to a metropolitan airport that plays a vital role in supporting the regional economy.”

Charleston International has seen passenger growth each month in 2017 with the exception of a 0.9 percent decrease in February and a 10 percent drop in September. The latter was due to hurricanes in South Carolina and other cities served by airlines at CHS. However, the growth is expected to continue in December and into 2018. December counts will be available in January.

On Feb. 20, Frontier Airlines will join Delta, American, United, Southwest, JetBlue and Alaska airlines at CHS. Frontier will fly nonstop to Denver and Philadelphia. The airline will add Chicago service in May. Also this spring, American Airlines will add nonstop service to Chicago to the cities it serves.