BWI airport: a Southwest hub and a strong, popular performer

Baltimore Washington International (BWI) airport's growth tends to fly under the radar but the airport handled 26 million passengers in 2017, which was its third consecutive year of record increases. BWI's passenger levels are higher than those of the Washington region's two other airports - Washington Dulles and Washington National.

BWI has a level of stability not enjoyed by other airports, none of which serves as a hub for one the US' three large global network airlines American, Delta and United. American is the largest airline at Washington National, and United, as of late, has opted to build up Washington Dulles However, neither of those airports are in American's or United's top five bases. But BWI is the second largest in Southwest's network measured by departing frequencies, and the airline's commitment to the airport is only getting stronger. Having the US' second largest domestic airline as an anchor tenant bodes well for BWI's long term viability.

The airport's overall network profile remains fairly diverse, with services to London and Reykjavik offering connections to other European destinations. BWI also has a steady roster of services to Latin America, and recently expanded its offerings to Canada with new services to Montreal.