Port Authority Airports See Third-Busiest February Ever

Port of New York and New Jersey Sees 7 Percent Jump from February 2024 as Nation’s Second Busiest Gateway for Loaded Cargo 

Bridges and Tunnels February 2025 Volumes Decrease from February 2024

PATH Commuter Rail Ridership Falls From 70 Percent to 64 Percent of Pre-Pandemic Levels Due to Hoboken Station Closure and Winter Storms in February 2025

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced that its commercial airports recorded their third-busiest February ever as 9.6 million air travelers used the airports during the month. The Port of New York and New Jersey was the nation’s second-busiest cargo gateway in February 2025, moving 20 percent more total TEUs than in pre-pandemic February 2019. The agency’s bridges and tunnels recorded a decrease in traffic compared to the prior year. On the PATH commuter rail system, ridership fell from 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels throughout January 2025 to 64 percent of pre-pandemic levels due to the 25-day closure of Hoboken station in February.

Airports:

Over the first two months of the year, the Port Authority’s commercial airports served 20.3 million passengers. This was an increase of approximately 6,000 passengers during the first two months of 2025 over the same period of 2024, which was the busiest year ever for the agency’s commercial airports.

The Port Authority’s commercial airports recorded their third-busiest February of all time in February 2025, despite a larger number of winter storms compared to February 2024 as well as the benefit of a leap day in February 2024 that added 3.6 percent to that month’s total volumes. The agency’s airports welcomed approximately 9.6 million passengers in February 2025. When adjusted for the extra day in February 2024 due to the leap day, passenger volume in February 2025 would’ve been on par with the prior year.

Port of New York and New Jersey:

The Port of New York and New Jersey reinforced its position as one of the nation’s premier cargo gateways, finishing February 2025 as the second-busiest U.S. port for loaded TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). The port handled a robust 464,253 loaded import and export TEUs during the month, a 7 percent jump over February 2024.

Overall, February 2025 marked the port’s second-busiest February ever, behind only the pandemic cargo surge in 2022. The port handled 699,240 total TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in February 2025.

Tunnels, Bridges and Terminals:

The agency’s six vehicular crossings served 8.5 million eastbound vehicles in February 2025. This was a decrease of 6.4 percent from February 2024. Taking out the additional calendar day in February 2024 due to the leap year, February 2025’s volume would have been down 3.1 percent from the prior year. Vehicle traffic was also reduced due to a greater number of winter storms in February 2025 than in February 2024.  These factors, among others, make the impact of the Central Business District Tolling Program difficult to analyze until more data is available.

PATH Commuter Rail:

Following January 2025 in which PATH ridership reached 70 percent of January 2019 levels, the PATH commuter rail system saw ridership fall in February 2025 to 64 percent of pre-pandemic February 2019 levels due to the closure of Hoboken station. The station closed on Jan. 30 and re-opened on Feb. 25 following critical infrastructure repairs and improvements.

The system welcomed 3.9 million total passengers in February 2025, which was a decrease of 5 percent from February 2024. Average weekday ridership in February 2025 was 169,747 passengers, a 1 percent drop from February 2024. Passenger activity in February was reduced largely due to riders finding alternate modes of transportation during the 25-day closure of the Hoboken station for critical infrastructure repairs and improvements. Following its reopening on Feb. 25, ridership began returning to January levels.