Port Authority of New York and New Jersey red, white and blew away records with all-time high of passengers in July

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced it welcomed 13.8 million passengers at its commercial airports in July 2024, setting a new record for not only the busiest July but the busiest month of all time. The total was boosted by record travel during the Independence Day holiday travel period. The seaport recorded its busiest July ever, surpassing 800,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) while maintaining Port of New York and New Jersey’s position as the second busiest gateway in the country for loaded cargo so far this year. The agency’s vehicular crossings continued meeting strong pre-pandemic benchmarks. PATH recorded its busiest July Fourth in over a decade due to the region’s annual fireworks show returning to the Hudson River, contributing to a ridership jump of 18 percent for the month over July 2023.

Airports:

July 2024 marked the busiest month ever for the Port Authority’s commercial airports. The airports served 13.8 million passengers during the month. This was an increase of over 230,000 passengers from the previous all-time monthly record set in August 2023. July 2024’s total was a jump of over 670,000 passengers from July 2023.

The record-breaking total was boosted by record volume seen during the July Fourth holiday travel period. The agency’s commercial airports served 2.2 million passengers from July 3 to July 7. This surpassed the travel period’s previous record of 2.1 million passengers set the prior year.

Year-to-date activity at the agency’s commercial airports continued to outpace 2023, which had been the busiest year on record. The airports have moved 84.4 million passengers through the first seven months of 2024. The total was an increase of 1.6 million passengers from the same period in 2023.

Port of New York and New Jersey:

July 2024 marked the busiest July of all time at the Port of New York and New Jersey. The port handled 806,015 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) through the month. It was the seventh-busiest month in the port’s history and the first time the port handled more than 800,000 TEUs within a month since September 2022. Cargo activity has grown as retailers prepare for back-to-school and holiday shopping.

July 2024’s total was an 11 percent increase over July 2023, and a 4 percent increase over July 2022, the month’s previous high-water mark. It was a 14 percent increase over June 2024.

The port has handled 5,016,672 TEUs through the first seven months of the year. This was a 12 percent increase from the same period in 2023, and a 16 percent jump from the first seven months of 2019. The port continued its status as the second busiest in the nation for loaded TEUs, handling 3,376,010 loaded imports and exports from January through July

Tunnels, Bridges and Terminals:

Nearly 10.7 million eastbound vehicles used the Port Authority’s six vehicular crossings in July 2024, continuing to achieve pre-pandemic levels. Average daily traffic volume decreased 2 percent from June to July.

The 70.4 million eastbound crossings recorded from January through July are consistent with volumes seen over the same periods of 2023 and 2019.