Two consecutive double-digit increases
Federal Aviation Administration spreadsheets show 218,742 passenger boardings at Meadows Field in calendar 2025, up from 195,148 in 2024. The 12.09% increase followed an 11.58% rise in 2024 from 174,891 boardings in 2023.
Across the two-year span, Bakersfield’s airport added 43,851 annual boardings—a 25.1% increase. The finding comes from matching airport identifier BFL in the FAA’s commercial-service files and checking the prior-year column in each workbook.
| Calendar year | Boardings | Change from prior year |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 174,891 | — |
| 2024 | 195,148 | +11.58% |
| 2025 preliminary | 218,742 | +12.09% |
Growth has not changed the airport’s federal class
The FAA still lists Meadows Field as a primary, nonhub commercial-service airport. That category is based on the airport’s share of nationwide boardings, not simply whether its local passenger count rises. A 25% local increase therefore does not mean BFL became a small, medium or large hub.
The classification matters because the FAA uses annual boarding data to determine airport categories and formulas for federal airport funding. Calendar 2025 data inform fiscal 2027 categories and entitlements.
The records support demand, not a verdict on service quality
Boardings count departing passengers. They do not measure ticket prices, destinations, cancellations, missed connections, parking costs or whether a resident drove to another airport. The rise demonstrates more passenger activity at BFL, not why travelers chose it or whether airlines supplied enough seats at competitive fares.
For local officials promoting airport investment, the next accountability test is whether scheduled service, reliability and fare comparisons improve alongside passenger volume. Those measures are not contained in the FAA boarding workbook.
Method and limitation
This review used the FAA’s July 8, 2026 preliminary file for calendar 2025 and its September 15, 2025 final file for calendar 2024. The 2023 figure is the prior-year value printed in the final 2024 row for BFL. Percent changes were checked against the FAA’s own values.
The 2025 figure can be revised when final data are published. What’s the Scoop With Broach will update the comparison if the final total materially changes.