this year pale in comparison to those recorded in 1980 -- the best year for air arrivals ever.

In June of that year, 50,859 people flew to the Island taking the year-to-date total to 233,985.

However the best arrivals figure for June belongs to June, 1987, when 53,462 people flew to Bermuda. The year-to-date total of air arrivals by June that year was 222,021.

While a detailed breakdown of monthly visitor arrivals by country in the 1980's was unavailable yesterday, information contained in a statistical review of the years 1980 to 1989 show that US air arrivals accounted for between 86 and 89 percent of total arrivals.

In June of this year, 43,354 people flew to Bermuda -- an increase of some 3.5 percent over the previous June -- and the year-to-date total for air arrivals was 174,290.

The breakdown of those visitors by country of origin shows that air arrivals from the US increased in June, 1998, over June, 1997, by more than three percent -- from 36,402 to 37,527.