Stat du jour: DFW Airport's passenger tally

There were 16.8 million flights in U.S. airspace last year, about half a million more than in 2023, per the Federal Aviation Administration.

Why it matters: Demand for air travel nearly met the pre-pandemic record set in 2019.

Zoom in: DFW Airport was the third busiest in the country, falling behind Chicago O'Hare.

• DFW Airport managed 750,167 flight operations. Atlanta's airport continued to be the busiest, with 802,423 operations, per the FAA.

The intrigue: Thursdays, not Fridays, are the most popular air travel day nationwide. The top 10 busiest days of 2024 were all Thursdays.

• July 25, a Thursday, was the busiest travel day with 54,338 flights.