Regional airlines provide the only scheduled passenger service at 63.8% of the nation’s commercially served airports.
September 22, 2026. Media contact: media@raa.org
Washington, DC– The Regional Airline Association (RAA) today released its 2026 Annual Report, showing the essential role regional airlines play in connecting communities across the country.
Regional airlines provide the only scheduled passenger service at 63.8% of the nation’s commercially served airports. In all, regional airlines served 637 airports in 2025, representing 93.7% of U.S. airports with scheduled passenger service.
The report was released at the opening of RAA’s annual Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. It brings together data on regional airline operations, fleet composition, small-community connectivity, economic impact of air service to small communities, the aviation workforce, and safety.
“Regional airlines provide the only scheduled passenger service at nearly two-thirds of our nation’s commercially served airports. The people who depend on those flights deserve to stay connected,” said RAA President and CEO Faye Malarkey Black. “The 2025 data show nearly 143 million passengers carried by U.S. regional airlines, while departures grew by more than eight percent. This is good news for our industry and passengers, but we know the recovery remains uneven. The smallest communities have yet to regain the flights they need. RAA is working to protect and restore those connections by strengthening pathways into aviation careers, supporting the right-sized aircraft smaller markets need, and ensuring airports of every size share in the safety investments being made across our national aviation system.”
The report contains updated economic analysis showing that scheduled passenger air service at small-community airports supported more than 1.2 million jobs, $57 billion in payroll and wages, and roughly $190 billion in economic activity in 2025. Regional airlines operated more than 65% of scheduled passenger departures at those airports, while also serving larger airports outside the scope of the analysis.
“That reach extends well beyond the airport, helping businesses grow and giving people more opportunities to earn a living and raise a family in the communities they call home,” Malarkey Black said.
Among the report’s findings:
- U.S. regional airlines completed 3.16 million departures in 2025, averaging 8,661 departures each day. Departures increased 8.2% from 2024.
- Regional airlines carried nearly 143 million passengers, an increase of 6.8% from 2024.
- Regional airlines operated 34.2% of all scheduled U.S. passenger departures.
- RAA member airlines operate 1,798 aircraft ranging from nine to 76 seats, allowing airlines to match aircraft size and frequency to the communities they serve. The average regional aircraft had 68 seats in 2025, compared with 62 seats in 2016.
- More than 40% of today’s qualified part 121 pilots will reach the federal mandatory retirement age within 15 years.
- Air service at communities participating in the Essential Air Service program supported more than 17,800 jobs, $809 million in payroll and wages, and $2.743 billion in economic activity, equivalent to $4.45 in economic activity for every $1 in program funding.
- Dedicated air courier service at small-community airports supported more than 101,000 jobs and $8.8 billion in economic activity. In smaller communities, these carriers provide the last mile of the air cargo network, carrying replacement parts, lab samples, refrigerated medicine, and packages people and businesses depend on.
View the full 2026 RAA Annual Report here.
The Regional Airline Association (RAA) provides a unified voice of advocacy for North American regional airlines aimed at promoting a safe, reliable, and strong regional airline industry. RAA serves as an important support network connecting regional airlines and industry business partners. Regional airlines operate 34.2% of U.S. scheduled passenger flights and provide the only source of scheduled air service to 64% of the nation’s airports. Regional airlines provide more than 70% of the air service in West Virginia (89.2%), Alaska (85.4%), North Dakota (83.5%), Arkansas (77.8%), Vermont (77.6%), Kansas (76.4%), South Dakota (74.6%), U.S. Virgin Islands (74.1%), Alabama (72.7%), and Mississippi (71%). Regional airlines provide more than half of the air service in Wyoming (67.9%), Idaho (65.3%), Montana (63.7%), Maine (63.2%), Iowa (59.4%), New Hampshire (59.3%), Wisconsin (58.2%), Indiana (53.7%), Virginia (53.4%), Kentucky (53.2%), Oklahoma (50.7%), and New Mexico (50.5%).