A year before the pandemic in 2019, there were more than 6.7 million travelers at Bradley International Airport, located north of Hartford. It was an all-time high for the airport.
But the following year, the outlook dimmed. Airport data show that in 2020, there were only 2.3 million passengers, a 65% decrease explained by travel restrictions and the spreading virus.
But as time passed, travelers started to return. Bradley airport data shows that in 2022, there were over 5.7 million passengers, 87% of the 2017-2019 yearly average.
But while Bradley is slowly approaching full recovery, other larger regional airports are recovering more quickly.
Boston Logan International Airport welcomed over 36 million travelers in 2022, signaling an 88.8% recovery from the pre-pandemic yearly average.
At John F. Kennedy International Airport, the busiest of the lot, passenger traffic grew to 55 million travelers in 2022, a 90.3% recovery.
But two neighboring but slightly less bustling airports, LaGuardia International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, are much closer to full recovery, with 95.9% and 96.5% recovery rates, respectively.
Read more: How Connecticut changed during COVID, in 10 charts