Lehigh Valley International Airport Statistics

Lehigh Valley International Airport handles more than 1 million passengers annually.

• The airport served 1.07 million passengers in 2025, a 5.4% increase from 1.01 million in 2024
• In 2019, passenger traffic stood at 911,970 before the pandemic.
• Traffic fell to 390,764 in 2020, a 57.2% drop, then rose to 752,111 in 2021.
• Recovery continued in 2022 with 912,256 passengers and grew to 930,946 in 2023.

The airport handles over 75,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings each year.

• There were 81,888 total aircraft movements in 2025, slightly up from 77,928 in 2024.
• In 2019, the total was approximately 87,505, with 75,231 in 2018.
• Operations dropped to 64,668 in 2020, the lowest during the pandemic.
• Activity rebounded to 77,719 in 2021, reached a post-pandemic high of 83,760 in 2022, then eased to 79,834 in 2023.

Low-cost and regional carriers dominate traffic at ABE, with Allegiant Air holding the largest market share.

• In 2025, Allegiant carried 59% of total passengers (629,500 passengers).
• American Airlines followed with 18.2% (194,703 passengers).
• Delta Air Lines accounted for 13.3% (141,557 passengers).
• United Airlines had 9.2% (97,695 passengers).
• Charter operations made up 0.3%, totaling 3,659 passengers.
• Together, these four airlines carried 99.7% of all passengers, showing the airport’s highly concentrated airline presence.

Passenger traffic at ABE shows clear seasonal patterns, with peaks during summer and holiday periods in 2025.

• July was the busiest month, with 102,634 passengers.
• June followed with 99,966, and August had 97,179 passengers.
• December reached 93,043 passengers, the highest among winter months due to holiday travel.
• January saw the lowest traffic at 74,038, followed by February with 74,965.

• Lehigh Valley International Airport offers 12 to 15 nonstop routes through four major airlines.
• Recent additions include Denver (served by United) and more destinations in Florida (added by Allegiant).
• The route network covers both airline hubs and popular leisure spots, supporting business and vacation travel.

• Orlando Sanford, FL (SFB) carried 104,120 passengers in 2025, making it the busiest route.
• Atlanta, GA (ATL) served 68,230 passengers, providing essential connectivity to the Southeast.
• Charlotte, NC (CLT) handled 50,020 passengers, maintaining its position as the second-busiest route.
• St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (PIE) served 46,020 passengers and Punta Gorda, FL (PGD) handled 39,990 passengers, completing the top 5 domestic destinations.

Lehigh Valley International is Pennsylvania’s second-busiest cargo airport, handling more than 300 million pounds of freight annually.

• The airport handled 302.0 million pounds in 2025, a significant increase from 249.6 million pounds in 2024.
• By 2018, cargo totaled 206.3 million pounds, dropping to 183.0 million pounds in 2019.
• The pandemic drove demand to 210.3 million pounds in 2020 and 232.2 million pounds in 2021.
• Cargo grew to 237.9 million pounds in 2022 before reaching 275.6 million in 2023.

Flight cancellations at ABE typically remain below 2%, outside of periods affected by the pandemic or industry-wide staffing shortages.

• In 2025, the cancellation rate was 1.28%, an improvement from 1.64% in 2024.
• The highest rate was 2.44% in 2020 during the pandemic.
• Cancellations dropped to 1.28% in 2021.
• The rate increased to 2.36% in 2022 due to industry-wide staffing issues.
• In 2023, only 0.57% of flights were cancelled, aligning with nationwide reliability improvements.

• Winter weather (snow, ice, and de-icing delays), mainly from January to March.
• Summer thunderstorms, affecting both ABE and connecting hub airports.
• Airline crew shortages, especially among regional carriers like American and United.
• Air traffic control delays at nearby major hubs (Newark and Philadelphia).
• Mechanical issues, though less frequent than weather disruptions.

• September 19, 2008: A runway near-miss occurred when two aircraft nearly conflicted on Runway 6 at night. Prompt air traffic control response prevented a collision. The airport added enhanced runway guard lights afterwards.
• December 2015: A Delta Connection jet slid off a snowy runway while landing. No injuries were reported, and passengers were transported to the terminal. Snow removal protocols were improved.
• September 2022: A Piper PA-22 flipped during landing in crosswind conditions. The pilot sustained minor injuries. The event emphasized the risks of crosswind landings.