The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced that its commercial airports welcomed 67 million passengers over the first half of 2026. The Port of New York and New Jersey moved 4.4 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) over the first six months of the year, on par with the same period of 2025. The agency’s six vehicular crossings recorded 58 million eastbound crossings over the first six months of the year.
The Port of New York and New Jersey finished June as the nation’s second-busiest gateway for loaded containers in June, while growing overall June volume by 12 percent from June 2025.
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 decline is primarily attributable to ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty and volatile oil prices impacting airfares. Domestic passenger volume continues to be affected by the residual impact of Spirit Airlines’ cessation of operations in May, impacting passenger volume at LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International airports.
The largest declines were seen in international travel, with the first half of 2026 down 4 percent compared to the first half of 2025. Domestic travel demand was more resilient, with an increase of 1 percent in June 2026 compared to June 2025 and up 0.4 percent over the second quarter of the year.
Travel demand over holidays remained robust following a record-breaking year-end holiday travel period in 2025. So far in 2026, a record 2.14 million passengers moved through Port Authority airports during the Memorial Day travel period of May 21-26, about 50,000 passengers above the previous record set in 2025. It also surpassed the agency forecast by about 20,000 passengers. During the July 4 travel period from July 2-6, the airports welcomed approximately 2.1 million passengers, among the top five busiest July 4 periods on record despite severe storms around the holiday impacting flight operations.
Newark Liberty International Airport recovered from challenges affecting travel demand in the first half of 2025, a period marked by Federal Aviation Administration-related staffing issues. Its volume grew 5 percent from June 2025 to June 2026 and was up 3 percent over the first half of the year, totaling 22.8 million passengers. The first half of 2026 so far is on track to be one of the airport’s busiest, behind 2024 and 2023. Travel demand so far in 2026 for John F. Kennedy International Airport was 5 percent lower than for the same period in 2025. LaGuardia Airport served 15.3 million passengers over the first six months of the year, a 3 percent decline from the same period of 2025.
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 (twenty-foot equivalent units) in June, moving 503,016 loaded TEUs over the month. The figure was an increase of 7.6 percent from June 2025.
Overall volume at the Port of New York and New Jersey showed strong growth in June. June’s volume of 769,422 TEUs was an 11.9 percent jump from June 2025, indications of an earlier, front-loaded peak shipping season driven by changing federal trade policy. Over the first half of the year, the port moved 4,427,159 TEUs, virtually even with the prior year.
Tunnels, Bridges and Terminals:
The agency's six vehicular crossings handled 58 million eastbound crossings over the first half of 2026. It was a 1.5 percent decrease from the same period of 2025. June 2026 was also the busiest month for truck traffic at agency crossings on record. Approximately 795,000 eastbound trucks crossed the agency’s tunnels and bridges in June 2026, an increase of 8.5 percent from June 2025.
