1,445,219 passengers used the airport in 2024—busiest year since 2019’s record

Middletown, PA – January 29, 2025 – Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) records a fourth consecutive year of passenger growth, with a total of 1,445,219 passengers using the airport in 2024. This marks the busiest year since the record set in 2019, reflecting a 10.8% increase over 2023.

Growing Preference for HIA

“We know people throughout central Pennsylvania prefer the convenience and comfort of flying from HIA versus driving hours each way to other, more congested airports,” said Timothy J. Edwards, Executive Director. “Our vision is to work with our airline partners to provide our region with more flights, to more places, more often. Over the past few years, that is exactly what has happened. As more and more central PA travelers choose HIA, the greater the opportunity we have to earn more service to benefit our growing region.”

2024 Highlights and Milestones

Fourth Consecutive Year of Growth: 2024 was the fourth year in a row of passenger growth, making it the busiest year since 2019.

Year	Total Passengers	growth vs previous year
2018	1,294,765	8.3%
2019	1,512,585	16.8%
2020	633,310	-58.1%
2021	1,021,056	61.2%
2022	1,256,348	23%
2023	1,303,990	3.8%
2024	1,445,219	10.8%

Record Monthly Passenger Numbers:

• December 2024: 126,863 passengers, up 1.6% vs. December 2019.
• September 2024: 131,791 passengers, up 5.9% vs. September 2019.

Airline Performance:

• American Airlines (AA): 663,431 passengers, surpassing US Airways’ previous high of 655,181 passengers in 1998. AA traffic increased by 24.8% vs. 2023.
• Allegiant Air: Served 267,919 passengers, a new record, up 5% vs. 2023. Allegiant has now served over 2,000,000 passengers since October 2012.
  • Added new twice-weekly flights to Jacksonville, Florida, in June 2024, now serving eight destinations from HIA.
• Frontier Airlines: Resumed nonstop service to Orlando International in December 2024.

More Flights Coming to HIA

Edwards anticipates continued passenger traffic growth in the first four months of 2025, with airlines offering 16% more seats for sale compared to the same period in 2024. Specific increases include:

• Allegiant Air:
  • 24% increase with new service to Jacksonville.
  • Expanded service to Sarasota (+65%), Punta Gorda/Ft. Myers (+28%), St. Petersburg/Clearwater (+24%), and Orlando Sanford (+16%).
• Delta Air Lines:
  • 23% increase with expanded service to Atlanta (+26%) and Detroit (+12%).
• American Airlines:
  • 13% increase with new Saturday-only service to Miami (Feb. 15 – Mar. 29).
  • Expanded service to Chicago (+22%), Dallas/Ft. Worth (+16%), Philadelphia (+13%), and Charlotte (+8%).
• United Airlines:
  • 3% increase with resumed service to Washington Dulles and expanded service to Chicago (+13%).
• Frontier Airlines:
  • Nearly 2% more seats for sale to Orlando.

Overall, between January and April 2025, central PA business and leisure travelers will have nearly 290,000 available departing seats for sale to 19 nonstop destinations, with connections to cities around the world.

Capital City Airport Also on the Rise

Edwards also highlighted growth at Capital City Airport in New Cumberland, which reported 29,671 operations (takeoffs and landings) in 2024—an increase of 3.3% vs. 2023. Last year marked the second busiest year since 2012, compared to only 31,408 operations reported in 2021.

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For more details about HIA’s growth and upcoming initiatives, join us at the next SARAA Board meeting on Wednesday, February 26th, 2025, at 8:00 am in the David C. McIntosh Boardroom on the third floor of the HIA terminal building.

About Harrisburg International Airport:
Five airlines serve Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) offering nearly 70 peak day flights to and from 18 nonstop destinations.  The Susquehanna Area Regional Airport Authority (SARAA) owns HIA, Capital City Executive Airport in New Cumberland and both Franklin County and Gettysburg Regional Airports.  Incorporated in 1997, SARAA is a multi-municipal authority whose mission is to serve the region by providing high quality, efficient airports and promoting regional economic development.  Combined these four facilities handle about 80,000 aircraft operations and generate a total economic output of more than $990 million annually.

Media Contact:
Scott Miller
Phone: (717) 948-3900 ext. 4620