The Port Authority welcomed over 100 million air passengers in 2006, setting a record combined passenger count for the region’s three major airports - JFK International, Newark Liberty International and LaGuardia.

No other airport system in the US has handled as many passengers as the Port Authority’s airports did in 2006.  In 2005 the airports welcomed 99.8 million passengers.  The Port Authority’s airports also offer more nonstop flights to more destinations than any other airport system in the world.

The 100 millionth passenger, Mrs. Liang Chen of Taiwan, arrived on 20 December 2006 at JFK Airport aboard a nonstop Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong, was met by officials from the Port Authority and NYC & Company.  She was presented with an array of donated gifts including two round-trip airline tickets from Cathay Pacific to return to New York; free passes to the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art; tickets to a New York Mets baseball game and tickets to a Broadway show.

Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia said, “We are delighted with this achievement.  The Port Authority, working in collaboration with its partners in private industry, has invested billions of dollars in our aviation infrastructure to ensure our airports remain safe and secure, and to provide our customers with world-class amenities and services. And our 10-year Capital Plan announced last week continues to reinvest in these important facilities, with nearly $4 billion earmarked for additional airport enhancements and improvements over the next decade.”

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates many of the busiest and most important transportation links in the region. They include John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports; AirTrain JFK and AirTrain Newark; the George Washington Bridge and Bus Station; the Lincoln and Holland tunnels; the three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey; the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid-transit system; the Port Authority-Downtown Manhattan Heliport; Port Newark; the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal; the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island; the Brooklyn Piers/Red Hook Container Terminal; and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The agency also owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan.

The Port Authority is financially self-supporting and receives no tax revenue from either state.
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