NEWARK — The region's commercial airports set a record for fliers in the first half of the year, breaking the old record set during the same period in 2013, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced.
Newark Liberty, John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia in Queens, Stewart International in upstate New York, and Atlantic City International set a combined all-time record for passenger traffic in the first six months of this year with more than 55.7 million air travelers, or 2 percent more than the previous record set last year, the Port Authority said.
The record first-half volume was attributed to the continued economic recovery, which has driven demand for business and leisure travel.
"We are seeing the results of strong demand for travel from our airports in recent months, despite being constrained by slot limitations," Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye said in a statement, referring to limits on takeoffs and landings per hour imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration to insure safety.
The bi-state agency appears to be having a banner year, at least in terms of passenger and cargo volumes. On Thursday, the agency announced that shipping container volume at the Port of New York and New Jersey had also set a first-half record.
In the cases of both air passengers and shipping, the region broke records despite harsh winter weather that hindered port and airport operations in January and February. Likewise, the first-half performance in 2014 was consistent with long-term growth projections for both air travel and shipping.
The airports in particular rebounded strongly in the second quarter, the Port Authorty said, with a 4.1 percent increase in passenger volume over the second quarter of 2013.
Year-to-date figures through June 30 show John F. Kennedy International handled nearly 25 million passengers, which was up 7.4 percent over 2013 and accounted for most of the overall increase; Newark Liberty handled nearly 17 million, down 0.1 percent from last year's first half; while LaGuardia was roughly flat at just over 13 million passengers.
The much smaller Atlantic City International and Stewart airports, which operate outside the port region by special legislation, also saw volume growth, attributed to expanded service. Atlantic City handled about 600,000 passengers, an 8.8 percent rise, thanks in part to new United Airlines flights to Chicago and Houston; while Stewart, in Newburgh, N.Y., handled 150,000 passengers, a 6.9 percent respectively, also thanks to added flights.
A recent report by the federal Department of Transportation's Inspector General's office criticized the FAA for the slow pace of implementation of the nation's new NextGen air traffic control system, which uses satellite technology to more precisely track aircraft, which proponents say will enhance safety and capacity, while reducing delays.
The Global Gateway Alliance, a Manhattan-based airport advocacy group, seized on today's passenger figures to press the FAA to speed NextGen's implementation and to raise the region's caps on flights.
"Without satellite technology for our skies, New York and New Jersey passengers will continue to experience the worst delays in the country." the group said. And, the group added, "we won’t ultimately be able to meet the demand of the largest and most important airport system in the country. ”
- Source: http://www.nj.com
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