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Widebody flights surge at US airports, JFK leads in May 2025

Widebody flights surge at US airports, JFK leads in May 2025
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Rick Cotton Executive Director of the Port Authority of NY and NJ | Official Website

In May, 46 US airports, including territories, are set to witness widebody flights. Data from Cirium Diio highlights nearly 1,000 daily takeoffs, marking an increase of fifty-three from the previous year, with a substantial majority heading to international destinations. Among these, New York's JFK Airport stands as the leading international gateway, hosting significant widebody operations.

Rick Cotton, Executive Director of the Port Authority of NY and NJ, oversees JFK Airport's operations. "As the country's leading international gateway, New York JFK has the most," the release notes, with approximately 163 average daily widebody takeoffs. Around 60 airlines utilize JFK for their widebody operations, with nearly forty operating flights daily. Delta leads with 49 daily flights on multiple twin-aisle routes including the A330 and 767 series, excluding only the A350-900 model. Transcontinental routes to locations such as Los Angeles and San Francisco contribute to this frequency.

Other key players at JFK Airport include American Airlines, operating fourteen daily widebody flights; British Airways with nine; Virgin Atlantic, holding seven to eight daily; and Air France, running five to six daily flights. London Heathrow emerges as the most frequented destination from JFK for all airlines.

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Notably, United emerges as the world's foremost long-haul carrier, leading the US-widebody market with extensive operations. Conversely, Azores Airlines stands at the opposite end of the spectrum, with a singular widebody departure from Boston to Ponta Delgada on May 22 via an A330-200 leased from Hi Fly.

In addition to JFK Airport, contributions to the widebody takeoff tally include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Newark, and Chicago O'Hare, each with a diversified array of services. Dallas/Fort Worth experienced a decline in May's widebody operations from 36 to 35 daily departures, leading to its exclusion from the top ten list. This drop is attributed to American Airlines reducing its twin-aisle operations. Various factors affected these operations, including frequency reductions on routes to destinations like Los Angeles and Rome and the airline's switch to narrowbody aircraft for Miami flights. British Airways' temporary withdrawal from Dallas also played a role in this reduction.

In a shift towards expansion, Boston retains its spot in the top ten, improving its position within a year by increasing its daily widebody departures to 38. Delta emerges prominently at Boston's Logan International Airport, maintaining its status as the airport's largest operator with nine daily flights. The airport welcomed new services from Austrian Airlines and other international carriers, including an increase in flights from Lufthansa, which operates up to triple daily services. Balancing these increases is Iberia's transition to using the Airbus A321XLR, ceasing the use of widebodies on Boston routes but increasing overall frequency.

Additional new entries include Finnair, Turkish Airlines, and Cathay Pacific expanding their frequencies, with the latter commencing Dallas flights onApril 24. In contrast, the world’s longest Boeing 747 passenger flights are set to return, planning to operate to Atlanta until the end of August.

Organizations Included in this History
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