Heavy travel expected over weekend

May 23—The Albuquerque International Sunport will have a city’s worth of passengers travel through it this weekend.

Officials are expecting 90,000 passengers — 16,000 to 20,000 per day — from Friday through Monday. That would mark a 4.5% increase from last Memorial Day weekend and an 18% increase from 2022, said Diana Lopez, a public information officer for the Sunport.

She said that the Sunport’s parking lots have been at capacity in recent days, and she suggested travelers take extra time to park and get through security.

Meanwhile, those taking to the roads are also likely to face crowds, with a record-breaking number of travelers expected.

The price of gas is down from last year’s Memorial Day weekend.

In New Mexico, the average price of regular unleaded fuel on Thursday was $3.28 per gallon, marking a drop of 8 cents from last week’s average and 23 cents from the same day last year. Nationwide, the average price of gasoline was $3.61 per gallon, according to AAA New Mexico Weekend Gas Watch.

New Mexico drivers in Farmington were paying $3.31 per gallon, which was the most expensive in the state. Drivers in Albuquerque were paying $3.28.

Demand for gas has increased in the last week. The Energy Information Administration reported that the week-to-week increase went from 8.87 million barrels per day to 9.3 million barrels per day.

Demand could cause gas prices to fluctuate over the weekend, according to AAA.

There will be an expected 3.5 million Mountain Region residents traveling for Memorial Day, including a record-number of drivers.

“3.1 million Mountain Region residents are preparing to take a road trip this weekend, setting a new regional record for Memorial Day travel volume,” AAA spokesman Daniel Armbruster said in a news release. “Gas prices may fluctuate through the holiday weekend.”