Thunder Bay AirportAuthority reported an all-time high in passenger volumes during August.

The authority said 72,932 passed through the terminal, reflecting a growth of 8.7 per cent from the same month last year.

“Our sense is that the key regional economic sectors, including mining, manufacturing and health sciences, continue to create both direct demand and indirect leisure demand for air travel,” said airport president Scott McFadden in a statement. “These are the perfect conditions for the introduction of the new United Airlines service early in 2013.”

United Airlines begins daily service to Chicago next February.