Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport announced today that passenger traffic in February was 7.72 percent higher than a year earlier, increasing from 6,253,968 passengers in 2011 to 6,736,786 passengers in 2012.

“We are pleased to increase our passenger traffic and are striving to grow our international and cargo traffic,” Aviation General Manager Louis. “While our passenger traffic growth over last year shows a 7.72 percent increase, due to leap year in 2012 our average daily growth is closer to 4.5 percent.”

Total passenger traffic for the year to date increased by 7.51 percent over the same period last year — from 12,592,311 in 2011 to 13,537,637 in 2012. International passengers for the year to date decreased by 1.46 percent.

Aircraft operations (landings and takeoffs) in February 2012 were 4.26 percent higher than in February 2011, and operations for the year to date increased by 4.29 percent between 2011 and 2012. International operations in February increased by 1.44 percent over last year; international operations for the year to date were 1.61 percent higher than in 2011.

Total air cargo for February decreased by 2.04 percent compared with last year — from 51,706 in 2011 to 50,653 in 2012 — and decreased by 3.41 percent for the year to date. International air cargo for February decreased by 4.53 percent between 2011 and 2012; international air cargo for the year to date decreased by 6.10 percent between 2011 and 2012.