Passenger traffic is on the rise at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, according to the Clark County Department of Aviation.

McCarran posted a 4 percent increase in passenger traffic for the first quarter of 2007 compared to the same period a year ago, with nearly 11,300,000 travelers arriving in and departing from the airport. Southwest Airlines and US Airways topped the list of airlines serving McCarran for the quarter.

Last year was a banner year for the airport. During 2006, McCarran had its busiest year ever, serving more than 46 million passengers a 4.4 percent increase over 2005 traffic.

And in June, McCarran received J.D. Power & Associate’s top award for passenger satisfaction among large U.S. airports. Survey respondents gave the airport high marks in the areas of check-in, baggage check, security, and overall terminal facilities. The airport is undergoing many construction and improvement projects, highlighted on its web site.

McCarran is the sixth busiest airport in the U.S., and the ranks eleventh among all airports in the world based on 2006 traffic, according to Airports Council International.