Boston Logan Breaks Passenger Record, Celebrates Year Full of Growth
Over 43 million passengers flew through the airport this year
The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) and members of the airport community joined together yesterday to celebrate Boston Logan International Airport’s busiest year. The airport served 43 million passengers this year, breaking the previous record set in 2019 of 42.5 million. With more passengers than ever, new routes, airlines, and improvements throughout the airport, Boston Logan is officially back after a pandemic downturn. The airport generates nearly $20 billion annually in economic benefits and provides nearly 20,000 jobs for area residents.
At Tuesday’s event, held in Logan’s newly renovated Terminal E, lucky traveler Reagan Berry of Boston was honored as the 43 millionth passenger with free tickets from Delta Air Lines, Logan’s largest carrier.
Boston Logan is a gateway for millions, allowing people from all over the world to come and experience everything the Commonwealth and the region has to offer. The airport currently serves more than 30 countries on 4 continents with 84 domestic and 59 international destinations. In response to the millions of New Englanders eager to travel, airlines have been expanding service. This past year, the airport saw new international destinations, such as Porto and Funchal, Portugal as well as Abu Dhabi, and welcomed new airlines Austrian Airlines and Etihad. Boston Logan also welcomed back airlines that paused operations due to the pandemic, including Aeromexico with a flight to Mexico City and Hainan Airlines with a flight to Beijing. Boston Logan’s new and returning services round out an exciting year of new travel opportunities for passengers.
“I am extremely proud of all the great work our airport community does every day to provide a smooth and enjoyable travel experience for our passengers,” said Massport CEO Rich Davey. “As we continue to grow, it is essential that we manage our growth, and continue to work alongside our neighboring communities, and reduce our emissions to promote a more sustainable future. This milestone is huge for Logan, not only because it’s a new record for the airport, but also signaling that we are connecting more people across the globe.”
The Logan Express (LEX) also saw record numbers this year, with over 2.5 million passengers utilizing the service. As more and more people use transit methods to get to and from the airport, Massport has had to expand the LEX system. In August, Massport moved the Peabody LEX site to Danvers, more than doubling the amount of parking. At the Framingham LEX site, the garage is expanding due to demand, adding approximately 1,000 parking spaces. These projects are designed to improve customer service on Logan Express, which has seen doubled ridership numbers over the last ten years.
Boston Logan had another “Banner” year, marked by the raising of the Celtics' championship banner in Terminal C. The Celebration of Championship exhibit includes championship banners of Boston’s professional sports teams, and is located above the security checkpoint in Terminal C. We are proud to showcase Boston as the “City of Champions.”
As part of our commitment to safety and security, Massport hosted the largest ever training exercise at Boston Logan. Over 1,000 volunteers and mutual aid partners joined together with Massport Fire Rescue and the Massachusetts State Police to carry out a simulated mass shooting incident. These drills are integral to the safety and security of all people at the airport, and the skills learned by law enforcement will be taken back to local communities to make them safer as well.
Massport is soaring into the future with exciting upgrades and improvements on the horizon. Investments in Boston Logan aim to improve customer service, meet important environmental and sustainability goals, and enhance safety and security. We just recently completed a project in the Terminal B garage that separated private vehicles from buses, increased the usable curb space, and improved the pickup and drop off areas. Key projects are taking place throughout the airport with the addition of roadway improvements and the beginning stages of a new multi-level transportation hub at Terminal E. Another important project in the works is a post-security connecter for Terminals A and B, which will allow passengers to easily connect between all terminals. Massport is also spending more than $500 Million in Net Zero projects in the next five years. As travel continues to grow, these enhancements are essential to ensure that the millions of passengers passing through the airport each year enjoy a more efficient travel experience.