WASHINGTON: The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it screened 2.02 million passengers on Friday at US airports, the highest number since March 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic slashed travel demand.

It was the first time daily US airport passengers screened had topped 2 million since March 7, 2020, the TSA said.

Still, Friday's demand is still just 75% of pre-pandemic air travel on the equivalent day in June 2019, when 2.7 million passengers were screened. US air travel demand has been rising steadily for months as more Americans get vaccinated.