Last year was the busiest ever for Los Angeles International Airport, breaking the record it set all the way back in 2000, airport officials said Tuesday.

A record 70.7 million passengers flew in or out of LAX last year, topping 2013’s total by 6 percent and surpassing the airport’s previous passenger record, set in 2000, when 67.3 million travelers passed through the airport. Air traffic fell following the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, then recovered before dropping again during the recession.

The amount of air cargo moving through the airport also grew, climbing 3.8 percent last year over the year before, to more than 2 million tons.

Airport officials attributed the record number of passengers and the rise in cargo activity to an improving global economy and U.S. and overseas airlines starting or expanding international services.