Meadows Field Airport (BFL) Statistics

Meadows Field Airport (BFL) lies three miles northwest of downtown Bakersfield, California, serving as the region's primary commercial airport. It features two parallel runways, and its main runway stretches over 10,000 feet, long enough to accommodate large commercial jets.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data shows 195,148 enplanements at Meadows Field in 2024.

• Enplanements fell from 140,007 in 2014 to 100,433 in 2016, a drop of about 28.3%.
• They edged down again to 99,472 in 2017, then recovered to 129,669 by 2019.
• The pandemic pushed enplanements down to 83,933 in 2020, about 35.3% below 2019.
• A rebound followed with 131,327 in 2021 and 141,352 in 2022.
• Traffic rose to 174,891 in 2023 and 195,148 in 2024, the highest value in the official 2014-2024 series.
• The 2024 total was about 50.5% above the 2019 pre-pandemic level.
• FAA ranked BFL 192nd among U.S. commercial service airports in 2024.

Note: FAA publishes enplanements, which count departing passenger boardings rather than total passengers.

The Operations Network (OPSNET), official source of FAA air traffic operations, shows 68,239 total aircraft operations at Meadows Field in 2025, after a recent high of 68,696 in 2024.

• Total operations rose from 46,684 in 2014 to 49,259 in 2018, then climbed to 66,136 in 2019.
• Activity remained above 57,000 total operations in every year from 2020 through 2025.
• The recent peak came in 2024 with 68,696 total operations, equal to about 188 operations per day.
• General aviation dominated throughout the series, accounting for 56,548 of 68,696 total operations in 2024 and 56,699 of 68,239 in 2025.
• Air carrier operations increased from 2,094 in 2014 to 5,527 in 2025.

Note: Total operations data at BFL for 2014–2025.

Phoenix was the busiest destination from Meadows Field in 2025, with about 88,620 passengers.

• Denver ranked second with about 47,590 passengers.
• Dallas/Fort Worth followed with about 44,600 passengers.
• San Francisco handled about 37,210 passengers.
• Phoenix drew nearly 2 times as many passengers as Dallas/Fort Worth.
• Denver narrowly exceeded Dallas/Fort Worth in this period.

Note: January-December 2025 destination data from BTS T-100 Domestic Market (U.S. Carriers) and is reported in thousands of passengers.

BFL's total operating revenue reached about $7.36 million in FY2025, the highest level in the official series.

• Revenue was broadly steady from FY2014 to FY2017, easing from $3.82 million to $3.57 million.
• It then jumped to $7.18 million in FY2018, before falling back to $3.91 million in FY2019.
• Revenue rose each year from FY2020 through FY2025, reaching $4.10 million, $4.77 million, $5.72 million, $6.03 million, $6.69 million and $7.36 million.
• The latest figure was up 10.01% from FY2024 and about 92.67% above FY2014.

Note: Fiscal years end on June 30 for BFL airport. Data is collected from Certification Activity Tracking System (CATS) Individual Airport Reports.

Meadows Field recorded 86% on-time departures in 2025, matching 2024, while on-time arrivals fell to 75%.

• Departure performance improved from 82% in 2021 and 2022 to 83% in 2023, then reached 86% in both 2024 and 2025.
• Arrival performance was higher in 2020 at 84%, then declined to 81% in 2021, 77% in 2022, 80% in 2023, 81% in 2024 and 75% in 2025.
• Average departure delay was 99.96 minutes in 2025, up from 89.08 minutes in 2024 but still below the 119.13 minutes recorded in 2021.
• Average arrival delay was 76.03 minutes in 2025, slightly below 76.85 minutes in 2024.
• The cancellation rate stayed below 1% from 2023 through 2025, at 0.92%, 0.63% and 0.62% respectively.
• Total reported flights increased from 2,035 in 2020 to 3,054 in 2025.