San Jose and Oakland airports saw passenger declines in 2025, while international routes provided modest gains

Bay Area’s secondary airports faced a softer year as travel patterns continued shifting

Passenger traffic fell in 2025 at both Oakland International Airport (OAK) and San José Mineta International Airport (SJC), extending a post-pandemic reshaping of Bay Area air travel in which some demand has concentrated at larger hubs and on specific types of trips. The downturn contrasted with stronger performance at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) during the same period, underscoring how airline networks and traveler preferences have diverged across the region.

Longer-term comparisons show the depth of the change. From 2019 through 2024, passenger volumes declined at all three major Bay Area airports, with the steepest percentage drops occurring at OAK and SJC. Airport officials have linked the slower recovery at these two airports to reduced business travel as remote meetings became more common, weakening demand on several historically strong West Coast routes.

What the 2025 numbers show

By late 2025, multiple indicators pointed to continued pressure on OAK’s domestic business. Federal data covering the first three quarters of 2025 showed passenger traffic down year over year, while flight activity changed only marginally—suggesting the decline was driven more by weaker loads than by a major pullback in scheduled service. At SJC, published scheduled departing seats were slightly lower year over year in the fiscal-year comparison reported by SFO, also pointing to a constrained growth environment for South Bay air service.

• Oakland: passenger counts fell in 2025, with year-over-year declines documented across much of the year.
• San José: traffic trends showed year-over-year softness in 2025, alongside relatively stable capacity compared with other Bay Area airports.
• San Francisco: fiscal-year passenger totals rose, supported by both domestic and international demand.

The bright spot: international and cross-border travel

Despite overall declines, international flying emerged as a relative bright spot for OAK, even though the airport’s international footprint remained limited compared with SFO. OAK’s international service has largely centered on destinations in Mexico and El Salvador, and available data showed a modest bump in international demand even as domestic traffic fell more sharply.

At the regional level, international travel has been a stabilizer for SFO, where international volumes recovered more strongly than some domestic segments. That dynamic matters for the East Bay and South Bay because airline network decisions—where to base aircraft, which routes receive more frequencies, and which markets can sustain larger planes—can reinforce the advantages of airports with broader international connectivity.

In the Bay Area, the recovery has not been uniform: airports with deeper international networks have generally rebounded faster.

What airports are doing to adapt

Airports and airlines have responded with targeted operational and commercial strategies rather than relying solely on passenger growth. OAK introduced measures aimed at boosting concession activity and visitor foot traffic, including a program allowing non-ticketed guests to access post-security areas under controlled conditions. SJC has emphasized operational performance, including on-time departures, while pursuing route development and service adjustments as airlines evaluate demand by market.

The 2025 data suggests the near-term outlook for OAK and SJC hinges on whether domestic demand—especially business-oriented travel—rebounds materially, and whether modest international gains can broaden into more sustained, year-round route growth.