In the year following the COVID-19 pandemic, private aviation has boomed. Airports across the country are seeing record levels of private jet traffic, something driven by several different factors. For starters, the drastic expansion of jet cards and charter club programs has made private aviation accessible to a significantly larger travel demographic, one that is willing to spend lavishly to obtain the convenience and ease of access that private jets bring along to their customers.

Airlines like United Airlines, Delta Air Lines

, and British Airways, which have historically been favorites of business travelers, have slowly begun to increase their premium offerings, but they are still delay-prone and incapable of handling the challenges that come along with the needs of ultra-high-net-worth private jet travelers. Some carriers, such as Delta, have leaned into this by investing heavily in private jet charter operators. Delta, for example, has purchased a controlling stake in Wheels Up, one of the most prominent private jet companies in the United States.

Furthermore, private jet travel has gone from being primarily driven by business travelers to catering to a far more mixed clientele. Now, passengers onboard private jets are just as likely to be traveling for leisure purposes than business, as the increased value of the convenience and luxury experience a private jet can offer has become more and more invaluable to travelers. With premium travel demand booming across the board, it is unsurprising that private jet travel has also continued to increase.

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Nonetheless, all of this continued investment and interest in private aviation has only led the industry to continue growing rapidly, and, as a result, the private aviation scene at airports across the country has only continued to grow larger and larger, especially at the most important leisure hubs. In this article, we will take a deeper look at the five busiest airports for private jets in the United States, as ranked by total private jet operations throughout 2024.

5

Teterboro Airport (TEB)

2023 Rank: 1

For those who regularly fly in and out of the New York Area, Teterboro Airport, which I located in Teterboro, New Jersey, will likely be less known to you than other primary commercial service facilities like LaGuardia Airport (LGA), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). While the facility has no scheduled commercial flights, it is today the busiest airport for private jet traffic in the United States. With its convenience to Manhattan, the airport has long been a favorite of business travelers flying to and from the city by private jet.

Photo: JonathanCollins | Shutterstock

Officially, Teterboro Airport is a general aviation relief airport, which was intended to serve as a facility that would relieve the congestion at the metropolitan area’s other major airports. The facility today I both owned and managed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and it is operated by AFCO AvPORTS, a private management organization. The facility is located around 12 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan, and is, as a result, extremely convenient for travel to and from the city’s major business districts: Wall Street, Midtown, and Hudson Yards.

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The airport’s operational restrictions have been key catalysts for the growth of private jet travel, as the airport’s weight limit of 100,000 pounds makes it nonviable for any commercial services. The facility, which is over 827 acres in size, features 90 acres of hangar space and office buildings and over 400 for taxiways and runways, actually account for a majority of the land area of Teterboro itself. The airport has more than 1,000 full-time employees.

Teterboro Airport is not just a major facility for private jet traffic, but it has also become the hub and principal home base for many major private jet operators. As the most popular place in America for those with private jets to fly in and out of, it is unsurprising that charter companies might want to make the airport their home base. Many corporations that are New York-based will also have fleets of corporate aircraft based out of the facility.

4

Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)

2023 Rank: 2

Despite seeing a marginal decrease in the number of private jet operations in 2024, Palm Beach International, which serves the nearby West Palm Beach Area, one of America’s wealthiest, remained the second-busiest airport for private jet operations in the United States last year. The facility, which has been historically known as Morrison Field & Palm Beach Air Force Base, is a publicly operated airport in Palm Beach County and serves the extremely opulent community that both lives and vacations in the Florida area.

The airport also serves the nearby suburbs of Boca Raton, Wellington, Boynton Beach, Jupiter, and Palm Beach Gardens, making it the third-busiest airport in the Greater Miami Area after Miami International Airport (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). The airport is operated by the Palm Beach County Department of Airports, and is easily accessible by Interstate Route 95, offering exceptional convenience to those in the Palm Beach area.

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3

Dallas Love Field (DAL)

2023 Rank: 3

The continued growth of Dallas Love Field as a destination for private jet operations has been fascinating to watch over the past decade. As the city of Dallas continues to grow in economic prowess, more and more corporate jets and visitors on private aircraft make their way to the city each year, making it one of the busiest hubs for private jet travel in the country. The airport retains its third-place ranking on this list from last year.

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The infrastructure needed to support private jet operations at Love Field has only continued to grow, with several full-service fixed-base operators (FBOs) providing general aviation services. These include fuel services, maintenance, hangar space rental, and air charter operations. The airport is managed by the Dallas Department of Aviation, which has its head offices at the facility itself.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock.

Despite the growth of private jet operations at the airport, the facility is likely to be better known as a principal operating base for Southwest Airlines, one of the nation’s largest and most important air carriers. The airline has a market share of over 96% at the facility, as per the latest figures from the airport. From the airport, Southwest operates flights to destinations across the country.

Southwest Airlines

IATA/ICAO Code

WN/SWA

Year Founded

1967

CEO

Robert Jordan

Country

United States

2

Westchester County Airport (HPN)

2023 Rank: 6

A new entrant on this list, one which has consistently seen private jet traffic increase since the COVID-19 pandemic, is Westchester County Airport. This facility, which is located in White Plains, New York, has long been known as the principal private jet gateway for those flying private in and out of the extremely wealthy New York suburbs in Westchester County. The airport also serves opulent areas of Fairfield County, including Greenwich, Connecticut.

Photo: Media_works | Shutterstock

The aircraft is located 33 miles north of Midtown Manhattan, and, as a result, is classified as a satellite or reliever airport for the New York Metropolitan Area. The airport actually does have extensive commercial service, with most major operators connecting the airport to their hubs across the country. According to The Post and Courier, Breeze Airways also has an extensive presence at the airport, and it only continues to add new destinations.

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1

Van Nuys Airport (VNY)

2023 Rank: 5

After a year of seeing traffic fall by a considerable margin, Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles has just managed to stay inside the list of the five busiest private jet airports in the United States. According to Private Jet Card Comparisons, the airport saw a 3% reduction in year-over-year private jet traffic since 2023. The facility primarily serves ultra-wealthy individuals flying to and from the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area, and celebrities are often seen flying in and out of the airport.