The paper presents a comprehensive three-dimensional theoretical study of the extraordinary transmission of light through subwavelength hole arrays in optically thick metal films. The authors achieve good agreement with experimental data and develop an analytical minimal model to explain the enhancement of transmission. The model shows that the enhancement is due to tunneling through surface plasmons (SPs) formed at the metal-dielectric interfaces. Different regimes of tunneling are identified, including resonant tunneling through a "surface plasmon molecule" and sequential tunneling through two isolated SPs, depending on the geometrical parameters of the system. The study highlights the potential applications of this effect in various photonic devices, such as subwavelength photolithography, near-field microscopy, and optical modulators. The theoretical findings are supported by numerical calculations and experimental results, demonstrating the robustness and generality of the model.The paper presents a comprehensive three-dimensional theoretical study of the extraordinary transmission of light through subwavelength hole arrays in optically thick metal films. The authors achieve good agreement with experimental data and develop an analytical minimal model to explain the enhancement of transmission. The model shows that the enhancement is due to tunneling through surface plasmons (SPs) formed at the metal-dielectric interfaces. Different regimes of tunneling are identified, including resonant tunneling through a "surface plasmon molecule" and sequential tunneling through two isolated SPs, depending on the geometrical parameters of the system. The study highlights the potential applications of this effect in various photonic devices, such as subwavelength photolithography, near-field microscopy, and optical modulators. The theoretical findings are supported by numerical calculations and experimental results, demonstrating the robustness and generality of the model.