The Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority's two airports combined for a total passenger count of 50.6 million in 2023, a new record.
The total was driven by an ongoing post-COVID demand at both airports, resulting in a new single-year passenger record at Reagan National and an international passenger record at Dulles International, Airports Authority officials said on Feb. 21.
Reagan National broke its all-time passenger traffic record with 25.5 million passengers in 2023. And while Dulles (with a 25.1 million passenger total) didn't match the overall record of 27 million set in 2005, it did record an all-time high (9.3 million) in international traffic.
National Airport began operations in 1941, with Dulles following in 1962. In the late 1980s, management of the two airports, previously run by the Federal Aviation Administration, was turned over to the regional airports' authority.
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