The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reported that its commercial airports served 68.3 million passengers in the first half of 2025, with John F. Kennedy International (JFK) and LaGuardia (LGA) airports reaching near-record volumes. JFK’s passenger numbers for this period were just 0.2 percent below the record set in the first half of 2024, while LGA experienced a 2.4 percent decrease compared to its own record last year, largely due to more severe weather events. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) saw a 7.3 percent decline from its 2024 record, mainly attributed to flight cancellations and operational constraints stemming from Federal Aviation Administration staffing and equipment issues.
Despite these declines, the agency stated that this year was its third-busiest first half ever at its airports, finishing three percent below 2024 and two percent under 2023.
For June alone, the combined airports welcomed 12.4 million passengers—a four percent drop from June 2024—impacted by FAA-related challenges at EWR and an uptick in severe weather disruptions.
Cargo activity at the Port of New York and New Jersey increased by nearly five percent over the same period last year. The port handled more than 4.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which is also a significant increase compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. The facility ranked as the nation’s second-busiest for loaded containers both for June and for the entire first six months of this year.
PATH commuter rail ridership rose seven percent over the same period in 2024, totaling about 29.2 million passengers for the first half of this year; however, it remains about 28 percent below pre-pandemic figures from early 2019. In June, PATH served approximately 5.1 million passengers—an eight percent rise over June last year—with average weekday ridership exceeding 200,000 for three consecutive months.
Saturday PATH ridership in June surpassed pre-pandemic levels by nearly two percent, while Sunday ridership matched figures from June 2019.
Traffic across Port Authority bridges and tunnels remained steady compared to previous years, with six crossings serving nearly 59 million eastbound vehicles during the first half of this year—a slight decrease when adjusted for leap year effects and compared to both last year and pre-pandemic data.
The agency noted that ongoing fluctuations in weather patterns, macroeconomic conditions, tariffs, seasonal changes, and evolving work-from-home trends make it difficult to analyze precisely how initiatives like New York’s Central Business District Tolling Program are affecting traffic volumes.
“John F. Kennedy International (JFK) and LaGuardia (LGA) airports reached near-record totals,” according to the agency statement.
“Newark Liberty International Airport’s (EWR) first-half passenger total declined 7.3 percent from the record it set in 2024,” with most of that decline attributed “to flight cancellations and operational limits due to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control staffing and equipment issues.”
“The port finished both the month of June and the full first half of the year as the second-busiest in the country for loaded containers,” according to officials.
“The system welcomed approximately 5.1 million passengers in June 2025...through ridership remained at 75 percent of pre-pandemic June 2019,” Port Authority representatives said.
Comparisons between recent traffic volumes remain challenging: “Comparisons so far between 2024 and 2025 traffic volumes attributable to weather fluctuations, seasonal fluctuations, macroeconomic trends, tariffs and return-to-office trends continue to make difficult any precise analyses of impact from New York’s Central Business District Tolling Program.”
