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As the gateway to the Big Apple and the US East Coast as a whole, 
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is an incredibly desirable destination for long-haul airlines from all around the world. However, it also represents a very competitive market, and for airlines looking to add JFK to their rosters, it isn’t always a case of ‘build it, and they will come.’ This is evidenced by data from the Department of Transportation (DOT).
Indeed, according to figures made available by the US Department of Transportation, ten long-haul routes to and from JFK failed to reach load factors of 70% between March 2025 and February 2026, with one route in particular dropping below 51%. In this article, we will dive deeper into the data, crunch the numbers, and examine JFK’s emptiest long-haul routes in that period, as well as their current status.
The Top Three
When all was said and done, the emptiest long-haul route at JFK between March 2025 and February 2026 was Kuwait Airways’ corridor to Kuwait International Airport (KWI). During this period, the carrier achieved a load factor of just 50.63% against a total of 112,808 scheduled seats. This marks a stark contrast compared to the average figure across all long-haul routes at JFK, which the DOT puts at 83.2%.
The remainder of the top three on this front consists of two African routes, with both corridors clocking in below the 60% mark. Indeed, Delta Air Lines managed only a load factor of 57.57% on its route to Lagos (LOS) with 18,173 seats, while Ethiopian Airlines’ route to Addis Ababa (ADD) via Abidjan (ABJ) was a tad better at 57.92% on 72,677 seats. Still, Ethiopian has big plans for JFK, including moving into Terminal One. Mesfin Tasew, its CEO, commeted on its ambitions.
“Our customers will benefit from a world-class airport terminal experience that complements our award-winning service, while enhancing connectivity, convenience, and travel options between Addis Ababa, New York, and our global network.”
Two Routes To The Azores Are Among JFK’s Emptiest
Looking at positions four to seven on the list of JFK’s ten emptiest long-haul routes from March 2025 to February 2026, we see that European routes dominate. This section is bookended by two services operated by Azores Airlines: fourth-placed Terceira (TER) had a 63.71% load factor against 6,286 seats, while Ponta Delgada (PDL) came seventh, with a figure of 68.27% against 43,945 seats.
Catch what other flight trackers miss
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Catch what other flight trackers miss
Emergency squawks, holds, NOTAMs — live signals, no signup.
Open tracker
According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, only the more popular route to Ponta Delgada is currently operating. This June, Azores Airlines has penciled in a grand total of 17 rotations on this route (four a week) using the Airbus A321neo. As seen above, Air Serbia’s A330s, which continue to serve JFK from Belgrade (BEG) on a daily basis, also aren’t the fullest.
Indeed, this route was the fifth-emptiest long-haul corridor to and from New York-JFK Airport from March 2025 to February 2026, with a load factor of 66.56% against a total of 87,227 seats. Between this service and the aforementioned seventh-placed Azores Airlines route to Ponta Delgada was Delta’s route to Blaise Diagne Airport (DSS) in Senegal, which had a load factor of 67.98% against 52.853 seats.
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Rounding Out The Top 10
Completing the top ten, three more routes slipped below the 70% mark between March 2025 and February 2026. The worst performer of this trio was Gulf Air’s relatively new route to Bahrain (BAH), in eighth place, with a load factor of 68.35% on 24,671 seats. Data from Cirium shows that this corridor continues to operate today, despite the war in the Middle East, unlike Kuwait Airways’ route to Kuwait.
There is little to separate the remaining two routes, with a difference of just 0.22% between them: the services in question are EgyptAir to and from Cairo (69.62% against 83,350 seats) and Neos to and from Palermo (69.84% against 15,371 seats). Both of these routes still operate today, with EgyptAir splitting its 30 June flights between the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, while Neos favors the latter.
