The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reported that its airports handled 31 million passengers in the first quarter of 2026, a 3% decline compared to the same period in 2025, largely due to winter storms, geopolitical factors affecting international travel, and operational disruptions at LaGuardia Airport.
Despite the dip, underlying demand showed resilience. Domestic passenger traffic grew in March at both Newark Liberty International Airport (+3.7%) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (+1.3%), while LaGuardia saw a 4.4% decline due to reduced runway capacity following a March incident.
Individually, JFK handled 13.1 million passengers (-3.7%), Newark 10.8 million (-1.7%), and LaGuardia 7 million (-3.1%) during the quarter.
Beyond aviation, the agency reported strong performance across other transport sectors: PATH rail usage rose 8% year-on-year, reaching its busiest post-pandemic day, while port cargo volumes hit 2.2 million TEUs, making it the busiest U.S. gateway in March. Vehicular crossings also remained high, totalling 27.1 million eastbound trips for the quarter.