153 JFK Airport Statistics for 2026

How many passengers use JFK each year?

JFK is the busiest airport in the New York area. Its traffic collapsed in 2020, passed the 2019 level in 2024 and slipped back in 2025.

View data table

Commercial passengers at JFK each year, arriving and departing, in millions, on the Port Authority's count.

Period	Value
2012	49.3m
2013	50.5m
2014	53.2m
2015	56.9m
2016	59.1m
2017	59.5m
2018	61.6m
2019	62.6m
2020	16.6m
2021	30.8m
2022	55.1m
2023	62.1m
2024	63.3m
2025	62.6m

• JFK passed 50 million passengers a year for the first time in 2013 and 60 million in 2018. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)
• JFK handled 62,571,463 passengers in 2019 and 16,630,642 in 2020, when the pandemic stopped most travel. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passengers), Apr 2026)
• Traffic recovered to 30,757,513 passengers in 2021, 55,079,181 in 2022 and 62,076,692 in 2023. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passengers), Apr 2026)
• JFK had 32,827,864 passengers in 2000 and 29,312,767 in 2001, the year of the September 11 attacks. (Port Authority (2011 traffic report), Apr 2012)
• Passengers reached 47,717,816 in 2007, dipped to 45,877,942 in 2009 and were 47,683,529 in 2011. (Port Authority (2011 traffic report), Apr 2012)
• Another 1,701,001 non-revenue passengers, such as airline staff travelling free, passed through JFK in 2025; they are not in the passenger totals. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passengers), Apr 2026)

The Port Authority counts commercial (revenue) passengers arriving and departing on scheduled, charter and commuter flights. Figures for 2000 to 2011 come from its 2011 report, which uses the same definition.

How busy is JFK in 2026?

JFK has had a weaker 2026 than Newark or LaGuardia, and its traffic was already falling in the last months of 2025. The Port Authority's latest passenger figures for JFK cover January to June 2026.

View data table

Passengers at JFK each month in 2025, in millions, the base against which 2026 is measured. Port Authority figures.

Period	Value
Jan	4.65m
Feb	4.08m
Mar	4.87m
Apr	5.20m
May	5.60m
Jun	5.69m
Jul	6.10m
Aug	6.25m
Sep	5.12m
Oct	5.24m
Nov	4.71m
Dec	5.12m

• The Port Authority's airports served 67 million passengers in the first half of 2026, down 2%, and international travel fell 4%. (Port Authority (first half 2026 volumes), Jul 2026)
• Newark grew 3% to 22.8 million passengers in the first half of 2026, and LaGuardia fell 3% to 15.3 million. (Port Authority (first half 2026 volumes), Jul 2026)
• A record 2.14 million passengers used the Port Authority's airports over the Memorial Day period of 21 to 26 May 2026, about 50,000 more than the 2025 record. (Port Authority (first half 2026 volumes), Jul 2026)
• The three large Port Authority airports served a record 5.8 million travellers over the year-end holiday period from 22 December 2025 to 4 January 2026. (Port Authority (year-end holiday travel), Jan 2026)
• JFK's passengers fell year on year in every month from September to December 2025, by 3.4%, 2.9%, 2.4% and 4.5%. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passengers), Apr 2026)
• August 2025 was JFK's busiest month ever, with 6.2 million passengers. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: letter), Apr 2026)
• February was JFK's quietest month of 2025, with 4,082,211 passengers. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passengers), Apr 2026)

The first-half 2026 changes are the Port Authority's rounded percentages; its release gives no JFK passenger total for the period, and it has published no JFK passenger figures for later months. The Memorial Day and holiday figures cover several airports, not JFK alone.

How many JFK passengers fly international?

International passengers are the majority at JFK, and they have outnumbered domestic passengers in most recent years. International travel weakened at the end of 2025 while domestic traffic held up.

• International 34,528,047
• Domestic 28,101,408

• JFK had 18,667,984 international passengers in 2000 and 23,920,483 in 2011. (Port Authority (2011 traffic report), Apr 2012)
• International traffic was 34,322,341 in 2019, fell to 8,359,536 in 2020 and recovered to 33,180,238 in 2023. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passengers), Apr 2026)
• Domestic passengers rose from 14,159,880 in 2000 to 26,173,691 in 2007. (Port Authority (2011 traffic report), Apr 2012)
• Domestic traffic peaked at 28,896,454 in 2023 and was 28,007,293 in 2024; it grew 0.3% in 2025. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passengers), Apr 2026)
• By our reading of the Port Authority's tables, international passengers have outnumbered domestic passengers at JFK every year since 2011 except 2021 and 2022. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passengers), Apr 2026)
• International passengers fell year on year in each month from September to December 2025, by 4.7%, 4.8%, 4.5% and 5.7%. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passengers), Apr 2026)
• In the 2025 survey of departing passengers, 55.8% at JFK were on international flights, against 35.5% at Newark and 5.2% at LaGuardia. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passenger survey), Apr 2026)

The traffic figures are Port Authority counts of passengers arriving and departing; domestic includes Puerto Rico. The 55.8% share comes from a survey of departing passengers, so it differs from the share in the traffic count and the two are not compared.

How does JFK compare with LaGuardia and Newark?

JFK is the largest of the Port Authority's airports for passengers, flights, international travel and freight. Newark is the second airport for international travel, and it relies far more on one airline than JFK does.

1. 1 New York JFK 62,629,455
2. 2 Newark Liberty 47,000,085
3. 3 LaGuardia 32,791,050

• The Port Authority's four airports served 142,711,190 commercial passengers in 2025, 3.4 million fewer than in 2024, in their third-busiest year. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passengers), Apr 2026)
• Newark handled 47,000,085 passengers in 2025, down from 48,985,192, and LaGuardia 32,791,050, down from its record 33,543,943. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passengers), Apr 2026)
• The four airports handled 51,602,491 international passengers in 2025; Newark had a record 15,384,277 and LaGuardia 1,635,917. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passengers), Apr 2026)
• Newark had 390,476 aircraft movements in 2025 and LaGuardia 354,645, out of 1,234,668 across the four airports. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: flights), Apr 2026)
• Newark handled 679,097 short tons of freight in 2025, and the region's airports 2,269,169 in all. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: cargo), Apr 2026)
• In 2019 the Port Authority's airports set what was then a record of 140.5 million passengers. (Port Authority (2019 traffic report), 2020)
• At Newark, United carried 31,907,752 passengers in 2025, 67.9% of the airport's traffic. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: airlines), Apr 2026)

The four Port Authority airports are JFK, Newark Liberty in New Jersey, LaGuardia and New York Stewart, about 60 miles north of the city; Stewart is in the four-airport totals but not shown separately. Aircraft movements include non-commercial flights. Freight is in short tons and leaves out mail.

Which airlines carry the most passengers at JFK?

Delta and JetBlue carry more than half of JFK's passengers, and American is third. Foreign airlines carry most of the rest, led by British Airways and Avianca.

1. 1 Delta 18,538,618
2. 2 JetBlue 14,517,259
3. 3 American 7,438,400
4. 4 British Airways 1,299,498
5. 5 Avianca 1,212,597
6. 6 Frontier 1,148,198
7. 7 Alaska 1,139,845
8. 8 Virgin Atlantic 1,091,705
9. 9 Air France 1,023,822
10. 10 Emirates 848,904

• Delta's JFK passengers in 2025 were 12,399,955 domestic and 6,138,663 international. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: airlines), Apr 2026)
• JetBlue carried 14,517,259 passengers at JFK in 2025, 5,834,696 of them international; Delta and JetBlue together carried 52.8% of the airport's passengers. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: airlines), Apr 2026)
• American Airlines carried 7,438,400 passengers, and the top three airlines together 64.7%. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: airlines), Apr 2026)
• British Airways was the largest foreign airline at JFK with 1,299,498 passengers, ahead of Avianca with 1,212,597. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: airlines), Apr 2026)
• Frontier (1,148,198), Alaska (1,139,845), Virgin Atlantic (1,091,705) and Air France (1,023,822) also carried more than a million passengers each. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: airlines), Apr 2026)
• Emirates carried 848,904 passengers, Turkish Airlines 659,751, Aer Lingus 636,754, Norse Atlantic 614,161 and Qatar Airways 588,560. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: airlines), Apr 2026)
• LATAM (580,417), Cathay Pacific (571,659), Lufthansa (571,454), Iberia (515,175), EL AL (469,911) and Korean Air (460,490) completed the top 20, which carried 86.1% of passengers. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: airlines), Apr 2026)
• Airlines outside the top 20 carried 8,702,277 passengers, 8,450,383 of them international. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: airlines), Apr 2026)
• In 2024 Delta carried 19,124,513 passengers at JFK and JetBlue 15,003,639, both more than in 2025, and Frontier was not in the top 20. (Port Authority (2024 traffic report), Apr 2025)

Passengers are revenue passengers arriving and departing, as each airline reported them to the Port Authority. The shares are the report's own cumulative figures. The report does not say how many airlines fly from JFK.

Which JFK terminals are the busiest?

Terminal 4, where Delta is based, is by far the busiest terminal at JFK, followed by JetBlue's Terminal 5. JFK has five terminals today, and two new ones are being built.

1. 1 Terminal 4 26,262,242
2. 2 Terminal 5 14,294,338
3. 3 Terminal 8 11,565,724
4. 4 Terminal 1 6,076,598
5. 5 Terminal 7 4,428,747

• Terminal 4 handled 26,262,242 passengers in 2025 and Terminal 5 14,294,338. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: terminals), Apr 2026)
• Terminal 8 handled 11,565,724 passengers, Terminal 1 6,076,598 and Terminal 7 4,428,747. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: terminals), Apr 2026)
• JFK has five airline terminals with 125 aircraft gates, in a Central Terminal Area of 880 acres. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)
• The airport covers 4,930 acres on Jamaica Bay in Queens, 15 miles by highway from midtown Manhattan, and has more than 30 miles of roadway. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)
• JFK has four runways in two parallel pairs, more than eight miles long in total and each 200 feet wide, and about 45 miles of taxiways. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)
• Terminal 4 opened in May 2001; its capacity has grown from 4 million to 27 million passengers a year, and it was the first US airport terminal run by a non-airline public-private partnership. (Port Authority (Terminal 4 anniversary release), May 2026)
• Commercial flights began at New York International Airport on 9 July 1948, and it was rededicated as John F. Kennedy International Airport on 24 December 1963. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)

Terminal traffic is the Port Authority's count; its report says traffic is hard to split for airlines that use two terminals. The 27 million for Terminal 4 is capacity, not traffic.

Where do JFK passengers fly to?

Transatlantic routes to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South Asia are JFK's biggest international market, followed by the Caribbean. Flights across the Pacific have not yet returned to their 2019 level.

1. 1 US domestic 26,481,749
2. 2 Transatlantic 19,316,194
3. 3 Bermuda and Caribbean 6,112,317
4. 4 Latin America 3,901,315
5. 5 Transpacific 3,024,046
6. 6 Puerto Rico 1,619,659
7. 7 Mexico 1,611,263
8. 8 Canada 562,912

• Transatlantic routes carried 19,316,194 JFK passengers in 2025, and US domestic routes other than Puerto Rico 26,481,749. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: markets), Apr 2026)
• Bermuda and the Caribbean accounted for 6,112,317 passengers, and Latin America for 3,901,315, up from 3,871,824 in 2024. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: markets), Apr 2026)
• Transpacific passengers fell from 3,824,215 in 2019 to 316,134 in 2021 and were 3,024,046 in 2025. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: markets), Apr 2026)
• Puerto Rico accounted for 1,619,659 JFK passengers in 2025, Mexico 1,611,263 and Canada 562,912. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: markets), Apr 2026)
• Transatlantic passengers at JFK numbered 12,388,578 in 2000, 10,155,565 in 2001 and 14,078,304 in 2011. (Port Authority (2011 traffic report), Apr 2012)
• Transatlantic traffic was 19,473,336 in 2019, 4,023,660 in 2020 and 19,715,028 in 2024. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: markets), Apr 2026)

Transatlantic covers Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including India and Pakistan; Transpacific covers the Pacific Rim, including China, Japan and Australia; Latin America leaves out Mexico and the Caribbean. Domestic here leaves out Puerto Rico, so it is lower than JFK's domestic total elsewhere on this page.

Who flies from JFK?

Most people flying from JFK are travelling for leisure, and JFK has more foreign visitors and connecting passengers than LaGuardia or Newark, on the Port Authority's 2025 survey.

• Leisure or personal 86.6%
• Business 13.4%

• 86.6% of departing JFK passengers were travelling for leisure or personal reasons and 13.4% for business, against business shares of 25.0% at LaGuardia and 19.4% at Newark. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passenger survey), Apr 2026)
• 23.9% of departing JFK passengers were connecting to another flight and 76.1% were local passengers. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passenger survey), Apr 2026)
• 41.1% were foreign nationals and 33.2% lived outside the US; 15.3% lived in Europe, 9.4% in Latin America and 4.9% in Asia. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passenger survey), Apr 2026)
• 37.2% reached the airport two to three hours before departure, 19.8% three to five hours before and 5.7% more than five hours before. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passenger survey), Apr 2026)
• 70.5% checked in online or by mobile and 34.7% at a desk with airline staff; passengers could give more than one answer. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passenger survey), Apr 2026)
• 24.8% were aged 25 to 34, the largest age group, and 51.5% were women. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passenger survey), Apr 2026)

These figures come from the ACI Airport Service Quality survey of departing passengers, as published in the Port Authority's 2025 report. They are survey shares, not traffic counts.

How many flights does JFK handle?

JFK's flight numbers peaked in 2023 and fell slightly in 2024 and 2025. Most are scheduled passenger flights, with smaller numbers of commuter and cargo flights.

View data table

Aircraft movements (takeoffs and landings) at JFK each year, in thousands, on Port Authority figures.

Period	Value
2012	401,368
2013	406,096
2014	423,331
2015	439,301
2016	452,407
2017	448,331
2018	455,495
2019	456,179
2020	199,767
2021	290,355
2022	448,341
2023	479,026
2024	468,570
2025	464,281

• JFK had 464,281 aircraft movements in 2025, 276,704 domestic and 187,577 international, down 0.9% from 468,570 in 2024. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: flights), Apr 2026)
• Movements peaked at 479,026 in 2023; there were 456,179 in 2019 and 199,767 in 2020. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: flights), Apr 2026)
• Scheduled passenger flights made 346,609 of the 2025 movements, commuter flights 78,729 and cargo flights 17,855. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: flights), Apr 2026)
• August was the busiest month for flights in 2025, with 42,923 movements, and February the quietest, with 32,968. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: flights), Apr 2026)
• JFK had 345,311 aircraft movements in 2000, 293,592 in 2001 and 443,754 in 2007. (Port Authority (2011 traffic report), Apr 2012)
• Transatlantic flights made 86,956 of JFK's 2025 movements, Bermuda and the Caribbean 42,604, Latin America 23,187 and the Transpacific 16,981. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: flights), Apr 2026)

A movement is a takeoff or a landing, commercial or not. The 2011 report counts helicopters slightly differently from the 2025 report, so the older years are close to, but not exactly on, the same basis.

How much cargo does JFK handle?

JFK is the busiest cargo airport in the New York area, and most of its international freight is imports. Its freight fell in 2025 and is below the levels of the early 2000s.

View data table

Freight handled at JFK each year, in thousands of short tons, excluding mail, on Port Authority figures.

Period	Value
2012	1,319,219
2013	1,321,036
2014	1,343,055
2015	1,332,061
2016	1,315,358
2017	1,394,509
2018	1,422,160
2019	1,338,419
2020	1,152,605
2021	1,574,206
2022	1,545,624
2023	1,587,861
2024	1,670,715
2025	1,560,152

• International freight at JFK was 1,133,325 short tons in 2025, down 3.1%, and domestic freight 426,826, down 14.9%. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: cargo), Apr 2026)
• Freighter aircraft carried 864,586 short tons of JFK's 2025 freight and the holds of passenger aircraft 695,566. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: cargo), Apr 2026)
• JFK handled 1,670,715 short tons in 2024, 1,574,206 in 2021, including 57,436 carried in passenger cabins, and 1,152,605 in 2020. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: cargo), Apr 2026)
• Freight reached 1,864,422 short tons in 2000, the highest in the 1998-2011 series, and fell to 1,161,914 in 2009. (Port Authority (2011 traffic report), Apr 2012)
• Inbound international freight was 754,103 short tons in 2025 and outbound 379,223. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: cargo), Apr 2026)
• Delta was JFK's largest freight carrier in 2025 with 134,519 short tons, then Atlas Air (88,317), American (77,251), FedEx (63,952) and Korean Air (50,147); the top 15 carried 53.9%. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: cargo), Apr 2026)
• JFK also handled 56,567 short tons of mail in 2025, up 18.9%. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: cargo), Apr 2026)
• JFK has nearly four million square feet of cargo warehouse and office space, and its whole cargo area is a Foreign-Trade Zone. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)
• On the FAA's measure of the landed weight of all-cargo aircraft, JFK was ninth in the US in 2025 with 4,416,366,638 lbs, down 7.82%. (FAA (2025 all-cargo landed weight), Sep 2026)

Port Authority cargo figures are in short tons (US tons of 2,000 lb, not metric tonnes) and count freight only, with mail shown separately. The FAA figure is the maximum landing weight of cargo-only aircraft, not the cargo they carried, and it leaves out freight in passenger aircraft, so the two are not compared.

How punctual are flights at JFK?

About three in four domestic flights arriving at JFK are on time, and 2026 has been worse than 2025, with many more cancellations. These figures cover only US airlines' domestic flights.

View data table

Share of US airlines' domestic flights arriving at JFK on time each year, in per cent, from BTS data.

Period	Value
2015	76.43%
2016	76.78%
2017	72.80%
2018	75.65%
2019	78.26%
2020	84.37%
2021	79.92%
2022	71.79%
2023	74.25%
2024	77.03%
2025	75.43%

• National Aviation System delays, such as air traffic control and heavy traffic, affected 8.58% of arriving flights at JFK in 2025, late-arriving aircraft 6.73% and airline causes 5.87%. (US DOT BTS (on-time statistics), Nov 2026)
• 2.40% of those flights were cancelled in 2025 and 0.31% diverted. (US DOT BTS (on-time statistics), Nov 2026)
• In 2007 only 62.84% of arrivals were on time, and National Aviation System delays hit 18.43% of flights. (US DOT BTS (on-time statistics), Nov 2026)
• The on-time rate was 78.26% in 2019, 84.37% in 2020, when traffic was very low, and 77.03% in 2024. (US DOT BTS (on-time statistics), Nov 2026)
• Cancellations reached 6.25% of flights in 2020 and 3.69% in 2022, against 1.91% in 2024. (US DOT BTS (on-time statistics), Nov 2026)
• From January to August 2026, 71.40% of arrivals were on time and 5.35% were cancelled, against 74.47% and 2.43% in the same months of 2025. (US DOT BTS (on-time statistics), Nov 2026)
• In July 2026 only 59.12% of arrivals were on time, 11.75% were cancelled and 1.88% diverted; cancellation rates were also 7.91% in January, 8.86% in February and 7.68% in August. (US DOT BTS (on-time statistics), Nov 2026)
• From January to August 2026 the US on-time rate was 74.66%, Newark's 75.08% and LaGuardia's 67.52%; cancellations were 6.37% at LaGuardia, 4.17% at Newark and 2.27% nationally. (US DOT BTS (on-time statistics), Nov 2026)
• The best months at JFK in 2026 so far were April, with 81.86% of arrivals on time, and May, with 82.33%. (US DOT BTS (on-time statistics), Nov 2026)

BTS figures cover domestic flights by US reporting airlines arriving at JFK; a flight is on time if it arrives less than 15 minutes late. Foreign airlines and international flights are not included, and the list of reporting airlines changes over time. Delays with several causes are split by minutes. The data runs to August 2026, and BTS gives no reason for the July 2026 cancellations.

Where does JFK rank among the world's airports?

JFK is the sixth-busiest US airport by passengers boarding and sits just outside the world's top 20 by total passengers. Rankings differ because each body counts something different.

View data table

Passengers boarding at JFK (enplanements), in millions, on the FAA's final figures. 2018 and 2019 come from the FAA's 2019 file; the link is to the latest one.

Period	Value
2018	30,620,769
2019	31,036,655
2024	31,466,102
2025	30,792,806

• ACI World ranked JFK 19th in the world by aircraft movements in 2025, after 17th in 2024 and 21st in 2019. (ACI World (2025 rankings), Jul 2026)
• JFK was not in ACI World's 2025 top 20 by total passengers; the 20th airport, Kuala Lumpur, had 63,409,501. (ACI World (2025 rankings), Jul 2026)
• In ACI World's 2024 ranking, JFK was one of six US airports in the world's top 20 by passengers, and the only one where international passengers were the majority, at 56%. (ACI World (2024 rankings), Jul 2025)
• On the FAA's count JFK boarded 31,466,102 passengers in 2024, so 2025 was down 2.14%; LaGuardia was 19th in the US in 2025 with 16,278,532. (FAA (2025 enplanements), Sep 2026)
• The FAA also ranked JFK sixth in the US in 2019, with 31,036,655 passengers boarding. (FAA (2019 enplanements), Sep 2020)

ACI World ranks airports by total passengers, arriving and departing, and by aircraft movements. The FAA ranks US airports by enplanements, passengers boarding, which is roughly half of the Port Authority's arriving and departing total. The two are not compared.

Is JFK the busiest US airport for international travel?

Yes. In each month shown here, JFK handled more international air passengers than any other US airport, well ahead of Miami and Los Angeles. Its July count was lower in 2026 than in 2025.

1. 1 New York JFK 3.3m
2. 2 Miami 2.3m
3. 3 Los Angeles 2.3m
4. 4 Chicago O'Hare 1.6m
5. 5 Newark 1.6m

• Miami and Los Angeles each had 2.3 million international air passengers in July 2026, and Chicago O'Hare and Newark 1.6 million each. (NTTO (international air travel, Jul 2026), Jul 2026)
• In July 2025 JFK had 3.7 million international air passengers on the same measure. (NTTO (international air travel, Jul 2025), Jul 2025)
• JFK had 3.8 million international air passengers in August 2025, and London Heathrow, with 1.7 million, was the busiest foreign airport for flights to and from the US. (NTTO (international air travel, Aug 2025), Aug 2025)
• JFK had 2.8 million in December 2025, and Heathrow 1.4 million on flights to and from the US. (NTTO (international air travel, Dec 2025), Dec 2025)
• JFK to London Heathrow was the busiest international airport pair from North America in 2025, with 2.1 million passengers. (IATA (World Air Transport Statistics), Jul 2026)

The National Travel and Tourism Office counts passengers arriving and departing on non-stop international flights by all airlines, from border records (APIS/I-92). Its figures are rounded and are not compared with the Port Authority's count. Heathrow figures cover flights to all US airports. IATA counts passengers on an airport pair in both directions.

How many guns does TSA find at JFK?

TSA officers find a handful of guns at JFK checkpoints each year, fewer than at Newark. Security causes almost no flight delays at JFK.

View data table

Firearms caught at TSA checkpoints at JFK each year, from TSA's New York area release.

Period	Value
2021	9
2022	7
2023	15
2024	10

• TSA officers caught 10 firearms at JFK checkpoints in 2024, down from 15 in 2023; Newark had a record 21 and LaGuardia 10, of 42 across the New York City area's airports. (TSA (New York area firearms release), Jan 2025)
• By 21 April 2025, TSA had caught 3 firearms at JFK checkpoints that year. (TSA (JFK firearms release), Apr 2025)
• Security delays affected 0.04% of US airlines' domestic flights arriving at JFK in 2025. (US DOT BTS (on-time statistics), Nov 2026)

Two TSA releases give different JFK counts for 2019 and 2020, so those years are left out; they agree on 2021 to 2024. TSA counts firearms found at checkpoints, not all prohibited items.

How do passengers get to JFK?

AirTrain JFK carries more riders every year, and JFK has a far larger share of passengers arriving by rail than LaGuardia or Newark. Taxi trips and paid parking have fallen sharply since 2012.

View data table

AirTrain JFK passengers each year, in millions, since the Port Authority began counting all riders in 2017.

Period	Value
2017	20.3m
2018	20.4m
2019	20.9m
2020	6.6m
2021	10.3m
2022	18.2m
2023	23.6m
2024	24.9m
2025	25.8m

• AirTrain carried 24,896,019 passengers in 2024 and 20,939,059 in 2019. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: ground access), Apr 2026)
• Ridership was 20,274,165 in 2017, when the full count began, 6,578,714 in 2020 and 23,645,419 in 2023. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: ground access), Apr 2026)
• In the 2025 survey, 15.9% of departing JFK passengers came by rail or subway, against 4.8% at LaGuardia and 5.0% at Newark; 21.9% used ride-hailing and 16.2% a taxi or limo. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passenger survey), Apr 2026)
• 21.5% of departing JFK passengers were dropped off, 13.9% came by private or company car, 4.1% by bus and 3.0% in a rental car. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: passenger survey), Apr 2026)
• 1,968,967 passengers took taxis from JFK's dispatch lines in 2025, against 3,250,056 in 2012. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: ground access), Apr 2026)
• 1,653,723 cars paid to park at JFK in 2025, against 4,154,895 in 2012. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: ground access), Apr 2026)
• JFK has about 10,600 public parking spaces, including a long-term lot with 5,500 spaces. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)
• AirTrain fares are capped at $43.50 over a rolling 30 days for regular users and at $26.75 for a group of five or fewer paying with one payment method. (Port Authority (travel advisory, Jul 2026), Jul 2026)

From January 2017 the Port Authority counts all AirTrain passengers; before that it counted only paid riders at Jamaica and Howard Beach, so earlier years are left out. Ridership is the value in the report's table. Mode shares come from the survey of departing passengers. Parked cars are paid parking transactions, not spaces.

What is being built at JFK?

JFK is being rebuilt around two new terminals and new roads, paid for mostly by private developers. The opening of New Terminal One has moved from 2026 to 2027 on the Port Authority's current project page.

1. 1 New Terminal One $9.5bn
2. 2 New Terminal 6 $4.2bn
3. 3 Terminal 4 expansion $1.5bn
4. 4 Roads and garage $1.24bn
5. 5 Terminal 8 renovation $0.4bn

• The programme combines $15 billion of private investment in new terminals with $3.9 billion of Port Authority funding for roads and infrastructure, and the Port Authority says it will create 9,600 direct jobs and more than 15,000 in total. (Port Authority (JFK redevelopment site), Nov 2026)
• New Terminal One is a $9.5 billion terminal with 23 gates, 22 of them for wide-body aircraft; its project page, as read in November 2026, says the first phase, with 14 gates, is expected to open in 2027. (Port Authority (New Terminal One page), Nov 2026)
• When ground was broken on New Terminal One in September 2022, the first gates were due to open in 2026 and the last nine in 2030, and the project was expected to create 10,000 jobs, 6,000 of them in construction. (Governor of New York, Sep 2022)
• The new Terminal 6 is a $4.2 billion, 10-gate terminal; its project page, as read in November 2026, says its first gates open in 2026, and Terminal 7 stays in use until the second phase begins. (Port Authority (Terminal 6 page), Nov 2026)
• Construction of Terminal 6 began in February 2023; the terminal covers 1.2 million square feet, and nine of its gates take wide-body aircraft. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)
• Delta and JFKIAT's $1.5 billion Terminal 4 expansion, with 10 new aircraft parking positions, was started in December 2021 and substantially completed in 2023. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)
• American Airlines' $400 million renovation of Terminal 8, with five new wide-body gates, was completed in 2022, and a $125 million concessions project is due to finish in 2026. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)
• In June 2023 the Port Authority signed a $1.24 billion contract to rebuild JFK's roads, including a garage for 1,950 vehicles. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)
• The master plan begun in 2017 aims to let JFK handle as many as 100 million passengers a year by 2050. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)
• The Port Authority has invested nearly $10.3 billion in JFK since the City of New York spent about $150 million building it. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)
• A 12-megawatt solar canopy and battery project on JFK's long-term parking lot, begun in 2024, is expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by about 6,000 metric tons a year. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: JFK fact sheet), Apr 2026)

Costs and dates are Port Authority and Governor statements, dated as shown; neither new terminal had an official opening announcement on the pages we read. The 100 million figure is a planning target, not a forecast. The $10.3 billion covers the Port Authority's own spending, not private terminal finance. The solar saving is the Port Authority's estimate.

How many jobs does JFK support?

JFK employs more badge-holding workers than any other Port Authority airport, and the Port Authority puts its economic impact well above Newark's or LaGuardia's.

View data table

People holding security badges to work at JFK, in thousands, on Port Authority figures.

Period	Value
2012	34,924
2019	40,844
2020	30,644
2023	42,869
2024	39,411
2025	44,791

• The Port Authority estimates the labour compensation linked to JFK at $14.8 billion in 2025. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: jobs and impact), Apr 2026)
• Employment at the airport accounted for $18.04 billion of JFK's impact and 70,696 jobs, visitor spending for $15.28 billion and 71,617 jobs, and capital spending for $1.64 billion and 7,351 jobs. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: jobs and impact), Apr 2026)
• The Port Authority puts the economic impact of its four airports at $74.53 billion in 2025, including $24.47 billion for Newark and $14.48 billion for LaGuardia. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: jobs and impact), Apr 2026)
• JFK had 39,411 badge holders in 2024, 40,844 in 2019, 30,644 in 2020 and 34,924 in 2012. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: jobs and impact), Apr 2026)
• 85,282 people held badges at the four airports in 2025, including 24,989 at Newark and 14,356 at LaGuardia. (Port Authority (2025 traffic report: jobs and impact), Apr 2026)
• The Terminal 6 project page sets a minimum of $840 million in contracts for minority- and women-owned, disabled veteran-owned and local firms. (Port Authority (Terminal 6 page), Nov 2026)

The economic impact figures are the Port Authority's modelled estimates for the New York and New Jersey region, including spending by visitors who use the airport; its method changed from 2023, so earlier years are not compared. Badge counts cover only workers with airport security badges.

How many noise complaints does JFK receive?

JFK gets thousands of aircraft noise complaints a month, but a few households file most of them. Complaint counts show how often people object, not how loud the aircraft are.

1. 1 New York JFK 15,183
2. 2 LaGuardia 7,848
3. 3 Newark 440

• JFK received 15,183 aircraft noise complaints in September 2026 from 183 households, down 6.6% from 16,261 in September 2025; 16.1% were filed at night, between 10 pm and 7 am. (Port Authority (noise complaint report), Sep 2026)
• Ten households filed 90% of JFK's September complaints, 13,616 in all, and a single household in Springfield Gardens filed 4,933, or 32%. (Port Authority (noise complaint report), Sep 2026)
• 73% of JFK's September 2026 complaints came through third-party apps. (Port Authority (noise complaint report), Sep 2026)
• LaGuardia received 7,848 complaints from 193 households in the same month, and Newark 440 from 32. (Port Authority (noise complaint report), Sep 2026)

Complaint counts come from the Port Authority's monthly reports, prepared by PlaneNoise, and include every channel, such as apps, phone and web forms. They are not a measure of noise exposure.

Methodology and sources

Figures come from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs JFK (its annual traffic reports, fact sheet, releases, project pages and noise reports), US government bodies (the FAA, BTS, TSA and the National Travel and Tourism Office), the Governor of New York, ACI World and IATA. Each figure links to the body that produced it, with the date. The Port Authority's 2025 report is the main source for passengers, flights and cargo, so each of its tables is labelled separately. Its passenger count, the FAA's enplanements, ACI's totals and NTTO's international count are kept apart, as are survey shares and traffic counts, and freight in short tons and the FAA's landed weight. Delay figures cover US airlines' domestic flights only. Where two Port Authority editions or releases disagreed, the figure is left out. Where we compared a producer's figures, the text says so. Project dates are given as the Port Authority states them, with the date we read the page. The page is reviewed monthly and the date is shown at the top.

• ACI World (2024 rankings) · Jul 2025
• ACI World (2025 rankings) · Jul 2026
• FAA (2019 enplanements) · Sep 2020
• FAA (2025 all-cargo landed weight) · Sep 2026
• FAA (2025 enplanements) · Sep 2026
• Governor of New York · Sep 2022
• IATA (World Air Transport Statistics) · Jul 2026
• NTTO (international air travel, Aug 2025) · Aug 2025
• NTTO (international air travel, Dec 2025) · Dec 2025
• NTTO (international air travel, Jul 2025) · Jul 2025
• NTTO (international air travel, Jul 2026) · Jul 2026
• Port Authority (2011 traffic report) · Apr 2012
• Port Authority (2019 traffic report) · 2020
• Port Authority (2024 traffic report) · Apr 2025
• Port Authority (2025 traffic report: jobs and impact) · Apr 2026
• Port Authority (first half 2026 volumes) · Jul 2026
• Port Authority (JFK redevelopment site) · Nov 2026
• Port Authority (New Terminal One page) · Nov 2026
• Port Authority (noise complaint report) · Sep 2026
• Port Authority (Terminal 4 anniversary release) · May 2026
• Port Authority (Terminal 6 page) · Nov 2026
• Port Authority (travel advisory, Jul 2026) · Jul 2026
• Port Authority (year-end holiday travel) · Jan 2026
• TSA (JFK firearms release) · Apr 2025
• TSA (New York area firearms release) · Jan 2025
• US DOT BTS (on-time statistics) · Nov 2026