Nearly 44.3 million people flew through McCarran International Airport last year, setting a record for passenger volume for the second year in a row.

That was a 6.8 percent increase from 2004, and a 22 percent increase over the nearly 36.3 million travelers reported just two years ago.

The airport also handled a record number of taxi pickups and parked vehicles last year, further evidence of rising congestion within southern Nevada's most-vital transportation artery, Clark County Aviation Director Randall Walker said Thursday.

More than $2.4 billion in airport capital improvements are planned or under way. But Walker said physical changes alone can't offset future growth until a second international airport can open 11 or more years from now in nearby Ivanpah Valley.

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