Port Authority Reports 67 Million Airport Passengers in First Half of 2026

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced that its commercial airports welcomed 67 million passengers during the first half of 2026, while transportation and trade facilities across the region recorded significant activity.

PATH commuter rail carried 31.4 million passengers during the first six months of the year, marking its busiest first half since the pandemic. The Port of New York and New Jersey moved 4.4 million TEUs during the same period, virtually unchanged from the first half of 2025. The agency’s six vehicular crossings recorded 58 million eastbound crossings.

Airports

The Port Authority’s commercial airports served 67 million passengers over the first half of 2026, a 2 percent decline from the same period of 2025. The agency attributed the decline primarily to ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty and volatile oil prices affecting airfares.

Domestic passenger volume was also affected by the residual impact of Spirit Airlines’ cessation of operations in May, particularly at LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.

International travel recorded the largest decline, falling 4 percent compared with the first half of 2025. Domestic travel demand was more resilient, increasing 1 percent in June 2026 compared with June 2025 and rising 0.4 percent during the second quarter.

Holiday travel remained strong following a record-breaking year-end holiday travel period in 2025. During the Memorial Day travel period from May 21–26, a record 2.14 million passengers traveled through Port Authority airports, approximately 50,000 more than the previous record set in 2025 and about 20,000 above the agency’s forecast.

During the July 4 travel period from July 2–6, the airports welcomed approximately 2.1 million passengers, ranking among the five busiest July 4 travel periods on record despite severe storms affecting flight operations.

Newark Liberty International Airport recovered from travel-demand challenges experienced during the first half of 2025, when Federal Aviation Administration-related staffing issues affected operations. Newark’s passenger volume increased 5 percent from June 2025 to June 2026 and was up 3 percent during the first half of the year, totaling 22.8 million passengers.

Travel demand at John F. Kennedy International Airport was 5 percent lower during the first half of 2026 than during the same period in 2025. LaGuardia Airport served 15.3 million passengers during the first six months of 2026, a 3 percent decline from the same period of 2025.

PATH Commuter Rail

PATH recorded its busiest month since March 2020 in June, carrying 5.9 million passengers. Average weekday ridership reached 222,812 passengers, the highest level since the pandemic.

Weekend ridership also reached new all-time highs in June. Average Saturday ridership reached 144,391 passengers, while average Sunday ridership reached 114,146. Both figures were more than 25 percent above June 2019 and June 2025 levels.

The record weekend ridership followed significant service enhancements implemented by PATH in May.

The busiest PATH day in June was Thursday, June 18, when the system carried 252,272 passengers on the day of the New York Knicks championship parade.

Preliminary counts showed PATH served 145,277 riders on July 4, which would make it the system’s busiest Independence Day since daily recordkeeping began and represent a 33 percent increase from July 4, 2025, when PATH carried 109,140 passengers.

Across the first half of 2026, PATH carried 31.4 million passengers, a 7.5 percent increase from the same period of 2025 and the highest January-through-June ridership total recorded since 2020.

Port of New York and New Jersey

The Port of New York and New Jersey was the nation’s second-busiest cargo gateway for loaded TEUs in June, moving 503,016 loaded TEUs during the month, an increase of 7.6 percent from June 2025.

Overall June volume reached 769,422 TEUs, representing an 11.9 percent increase from June 2025. The increase indicated an earlier, front-loaded peak shipping season driven by changing federal trade policy.

During the first half of 2026, the port moved 4,427,159 TEUs, virtually equal to the volume recorded during the same period of the previous year.

Tunnels, Bridges and Terminals

The Port Authority’s six vehicular crossings handled 58 million eastbound crossings during the first half of 2026, a 1.5 percent decrease from the same period of 2025.

June 2026 was the busiest month on record for truck traffic at the agency’s crossings. Approximately 795,000 eastbound trucks crossed the agency’s tunnels and bridges during June, an 8.5 percent increase from June 2025.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a bi-state agency that builds, operates, and maintains major transportation and trade infrastructure, including airports, bridges, tunnels, bus terminals, PATH commuter rail, and the Port of New York and New Jersey.

The agency also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center campus. Its $45 billion capital plan for 2026–2035 includes projects such as a new Midtown Bus Terminal, transformations at John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, and major PATH service increases.