This story was originally produced by the Concord Monitor. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
Manchester-Boston Regional Airport saw its highest-ever cargo volumes last year as well as an uptick in passenger volumes, possible signs that its long stagnation since the boom days of the early 2000’s is ending.
The airport says cargo carriers Amazon Air, FedEx and UPS processed more than 238 million pounds of cargo last year, 4 million pounds more than the previous record set in 2023.
The development of logistics warehouses around the airport in the past decade has been a major driver of that increase.
More than 1.38 million passengers flew in and out of the Manchester airport in 2025, an almost 9% increase in passenger activity over 2024 and the best year since 2019, according to an airport press release.
Manchester saw almost 5 million passengers in 2005, marking the highest point of two decades of growth. That number fell consistently in following years as the airline industry consolidated, cutting back on their use of mid-tier airports like Manchester. Competition from relatively close Logan Airport in Boston has also dampened traffic through Manchester.
The recent increase appears to reflect the arrival of new budget carriers to Manchester.
“This renewed demand for air service will assist MHT in its efforts to bring new carriers and routes to the market,” the press release noted.
