The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey started 2024 with a bang. The agency’s commercial airports had their second-busiest January ever. This comes after a record-breaking 2023. The seaport also did well in January 2024. It was the second busiest in the U.S for imports and exports.
The airports welcomed about 10.4 million passengers in January. This is only slightly less than the 10.5 million passengers in January 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The number of passengers in January 2024 was almost 90,000 more than in January 2023, largely due to more international routes being added by airlines.
On the cargo side, the Port of New York and New Jersey handled 667,346 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in January 2024. This is more than in January 2023 and January 2019. In fact, it was also 5.3 percent more than in December 2023.
The port was very busy with imports and exports in January 2024. It handled 447,514 loaded TEUs. This is 2.6 percent more than in January 2023.
The PATH commuter railroad was also busy in January 2024. It served about 4.1 million passengers. This is a 10 percent increase from January 2023. However, it was a 2.8 percent decrease from December 2023 when traffic peaks due to the holidays.
On average, the PATH served 161,762 passengers on weekdays in January 2024. This is an 11 percent increase from January 2023.
The agency’s six vehicular crossings inlcluding the George Washington Bridge, served approximately 9.3 million eastbound vehicles in January 2024. This is similar to pre-pandemic levels. However, it was a 4.1 percent decrease from January 2023. This decrease is due to the mild weather in January 2023 that led to high traffic levels.
The Port Authority is a bi-state agency that operates some of the busiest and most important transportation links in the region. This includes bridges, tunnels, airports, and seaports, as well as the PATH commuter rail system. The authority's mission is to build, operate, and maintain infrastructure critical to the New York/New Jersey region's trade and transportation network.