Passenger numbers at San Antonio International Airport are down this year as economic uncertainty, largely a result of Trump administration policies, takes a toll on consumer confidence.
Passenger counts at SAT declined 2.4% in the first five months of this year compared to the same time in 2024, according to the airport’s monthly statistical reports.
Although domestic travel has declined 3%, international travel to Mexico has increased 6% during that time, the report shows.
The current decline in foot traffic follows the airport’s record-breaking 2024 passenger year and a busy 2023, when San Antonio’s airport surpassed records set in 2019.
“SAT did, however, experience its busiest Memorial Day weekend travel period in the airport’s history this year,” noted the report’s author, Air Service Administrator Jacob Tyler.
Tyler attributed the current decline in passengers at San Antonio International to “economic uncertainty.” Consumer confidence plunged 5.4% last month, according to a report from the Conference Board, a global nonprofit think tank and business membership organization.
Indeed, uncertainty caused by Trump’s economic policies is taking a toll on the economy, particularly in the hospitality sector, on which San Antonio heavily relies.
“The decline was broad-based across components, with consumers’ assessments of the present situation and their expectations for the future both contributing to the deterioration,” wrote Stephanie Guichard, the Conference Board’s senior economist on global indicators.
A string of headline-grabbing incidents involving international travelers trying to enter the U.S. for vacation has led to projections that international arrivals will decline between 5.1% and 8.7% this year, the sharpest drop since the Great Recession, excluding the pandemic years.
That decline in arrivals from abroad ultimately cost the U.S. economy around $12 billion, experts warn.
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This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 9, 2025.
