✈️ Met Gala Week New York Business Aviation Traffic Quietly Reshapes — KHPN Emerges as the Real Winner
During the 2025 Met Gala week, a reversal signal worth monitoring has emerged in the distribution pattern of New York business aviation traffic. According to Avi-Go data, KTEB (Teterboro Airport) recorded 2,379 business aviation movements during the Met Gala activity period of May 1–7, 2025 — not only down 12.5% week-over-week from the prior week, but also sharply lower by 21.9% compared to the 3,046 movements recorded during the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, KHPN (Westchester County Airport) saw movements rise to 1,658 during the same period, up 20.1% week-over-week and 15.9% year-over-year. Combined movements at both airports totaled 4,037, down only 1.5% week-over-week, confirming that overall demand has not disappeared — traffic is systematically shifting from KTEB to KHPN. This pattern has appeared with high consistency during the same event week across two consecutive years, strongly suggesting that KTEB faces slot controls or ramp capacity constraints during peak events, rather than any demand contraction.
Impact: For FBOs relying on premium ramp pricing at KTEB, actual inbound traffic during major events may continue to fall short of expectations, creating a risk of overstated revenue projections. The capacity value of KHPN within the event economy is being systematically underestimated and warrants repricing.
Recommendation: Brokers should initiate KHPN ramp reservations at least 8 weeks ahead of the 2026 Met Gala (anticipated early May 2026), and incorporate KFRG as an alternate option. FBO operators should reassess ground handling resource allocation at KTEB during major events to avoid excess staffing costs driven by over-preparation.