More than 43 million passengers flew through Logan Airport in 2024, an all-time high

Boston's Logan International Airport saw a record number of passengers pass through its gates in 2024, officials said Wednesday. The airport had more than 43 million passengers this year, according to a statement by the Massachusetts Port Authority, which oversees the airport's operations. The previous high of 42.5 million was set in 2019, just before commercial air travel cratered during the pandemic. The airport's 43-millionth passenger, Reagan Berry of Boston, was honored on Tuesday with free tickets from Delta Air Lines, the statement said. "This milestone is huge for Logan, not only because it's a new record for the airport, but also signaling that we are connecting more people across the globe," Massport CEO Rich Davey said in the statement. The airport currently serves more than 30 countries on four continents with 84 domestic and 59 international destinations, the statement said. Austrian Airlines and Etihad Airways both began flying out of Logan in 2024, the statement said, with service to Vienna and Abu Dhabi, respectively. Boston is one of only four cities in the United States to offer nonstop Etihad flights to Abu Dhabi. Existing airlines also expanded service from Logan, inaugurating routes to Porto and Funchal, Portugal, while airlines that paused operations during the pandemic, such as Aeromexico and Hainan Airlines, resumed service, the statement said. "As we continue to grow, it is essential that we manage our growth, and continue to work alongside our neighboring communities, and reduce our emissions to promote a more sustainable future," Davey said. The Logan Express also saw record numbers of passengers this year, the statement said. More than 2.5 million passengers used the shuttle-bus service, which serves Boston-area suburbs, in 2024, doubling its ridership over the past ten years. US passenger air travel rebounded to pre-pandemic levels by the summer of 2023, the Globe previously reported, but Logan had lagged behind the rest of the country until earlier this year. The airport opened its long-anticipated international terminal, with its striking "Boston Red" exterior, in October 2023. Boston Logan generates nearly $20 billion annually in economic benefits and provides employment to nearly 20,000 people, according to the statement. -- CAMILO FONSECA

ENERGY

The six New England states are teaming up for energy projects that would improve electricity transmission from northern Maine through bottlenecks in the grid to New Hampshire and southern New England. The New England States Committee on Electricity just sent a letter to grid overseer ISO New England, asking it to seek industry proposals to increase the capacity of two key grid connection points in southern Maine as well as building a new substation in Pittsfield, a small town west of Bangor, to accommodate at least 1,200 megawatts of power from onshore wind projects. The hope is to get both projects built by 2035. ISO New England would pick a developer, in consultation with NESCOE, and pay for the costs through a tariff in the wholesale electric market that gets passed along to electricity ratepayers. However, Jason Marshall, deputy energy secretary in Governor Maura Healey's administration, said the projects would likely result in a net decrease in costs to ratepayers over time by avoiding the need for other transmission and improving access to more clean-power resources. Marshall said the states don't have cost estimates for the projects yet. This request marks the first time the New England states are taking advantage of a new rule that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved for New England in July, allowing the states to be more proactive in transmission planning. Marshall described this regional effort as the first of its kind in the country, but probably not the last. "It once again is showing New England is leading on energy," Marshall said. "We are intentionally focusing on the Maine system [for now]. We are focusing on the investments that we have a high level of confidence that they'll provide substantial value for consumers." -- JON CHESTO

CANNABIS