Airport Empty Leg Index: Top 10 US Departure Airports

Teterboro (KTEB) had the most private jet empty leg departures of any US airport in the SkyAccess Airport Empty Leg Index, with 1,460 unique legs departing July 1 to September 28, 2026, ahead of Las Vegas Harry Reid (KLAS, 1,101) and Van Nuys (KVNY, 944). The index counts 40,991 unique empty legs departing 1,176 US airports in that window, and the top 10 airports account for 18.8% of them.

Updated September 29, 2026: an earlier version of this index counted listing records created in its 90-day window, including deleted records and duplicate copies of the same flight, which overstated the totals and changed the ranking, including placing Las Vegas first. This edition counts legs departing July 1 to September 28, 2026, excludes deleted records and counts exact duplicate copies of a leg once; Teterboro ranks first.

In SkyAccess marketplace data, empty legs were listed to depart from 1,176 US airports between July 1 and September 28, 2026, but a short list of airports accounted for far more than its share. The busiest origins for empty leg departures across the United States include airports in the New York area, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and the big Texas cities.

This is the SkyAccess Airport Empty Leg Index: a ranking of the top 10 US departure airports by the number of unique empty legs departing from each, drawn from the SkyAccess marketplace database.

Methodology

• Source: SkyAccess marketplace database.
• What counts: a leg is identified by its departure airport, arrival airport, departure time, aircraft tail number and aircraft model, so repeat copies of a flight recorded with the same details count once. Copies of the same flight recorded by two sources with different departure times are not merged.
• Window: legs departing July 1 to September 28, 2026.
• Scope: US departure airports, grouped by ICAO code, or by the airport identifier where no ICAO code is recorded. The sample is 40,991 unique legs departing from 1,176 US airports.
• Exclusions: deleted listing records, cancelled flights, and internal-only (operator-private) flights.

Legs enter the SkyAccess database mainly from operator scheduling systems and calendars, operator uploads, partner feeds and operator websites. The count includes legs that were not shown to customers, such as legs hidden by a pricing rule, so it measures empty leg supply recorded in the database rather than only listings a customer could book.

Top 10 US Departure Airports for Empty Legs

#	Airport	Legs
1	Teterboro (KTEB) Teterboro, NJ	1,460 3.6%
2	Harry Reid (KLAS) Las Vegas, NV	1,101 2.7%
3	Van Nuys (KVNY) Van Nuys, CA	944 2.3%
4	Westchester (KHPN) White Plains, NY	817 2.0%
5	Opa Locka (KOPF) Miami, FL	751 1.8%
6	Hobby (KHOU) Houston, TX	655 1.6%
7	Love Field (KDAL) Dallas, TX	590 1.4%
8	El Paso (KELP) El Paso, TX	494 1.2%
9	Scottsdale (KSDL) Scottsdale, AZ	454 1.1%
10	Lincoln (KLNK) Lincoln, NE	442 1.1%

#: rank. Legs: unique empty legs departing each airport in the window. The percentage under each count is that airport’s share of the 40,991 unique legs departing US airports in the window.

Data: SkyAccess marketplace database. Unique empty legs departing US airports July 1 to September 28, 2026, grouped by departure airport ICAO code, or by airport identifier where no ICAO code is recorded. Listing records with the same departure airport, arrival airport, departure time, tail number and aircraft model count as one leg. Deleted listing records, cancelled flights and internal-only flights are excluded; legs not shown to customers are included. Total unique US-origin legs: 40,991.

The ranking covers one summer quarter, and the order shifts over a longer period. Measured the same way across the 12 months to September 28, 2026, Teterboro still ranks first, followed by Opa Locka, Van Nuys and Las Vegas.

Teterboro Leads the Index

Teterboro (KTEB) ranks first with 1,460 unique departures in the window, 359 more than Las Vegas in second place. Its supply is also the most broadly based in the top 10: 117 different operators had legs departing KTEB, the most of any top-10 airport, and no single operator accounts for more than 11.2% of its departures, the lowest such share in the top 10.

Teterboro is the main private aviation airport serving Manhattan and has no scheduled airline service. Aircraft that drop passengers in the New York area often reposition out of KTEB, and those repositioning flights show up as empty legs.

Two Airports Carry Most of the New York Metro

Westchester County Airport (KHPN) in White Plains ranks fourth with 817 unique departures. Together, Teterboro and Westchester account for 2,277 unique departures: 5.6% of all US-origin legs in the index, and 75.6% of the 3,010 unique legs departing airports within 45 miles of Midtown Manhattan (measured in a straight line from 40.755 N, 73.984 W). Republic Airport (KFRG) in Farmingdale, on Long Island, is the next busiest airport in that area, tied for 21st nationally with 338.

The two airports draw different fleets. Heavy and ultra-long-range jets make up 34.4% of Teterboro’s unique legs, against 14.2% at Westchester, where turboprops are the largest single aircraft category at 24.0%. Many legs from both airports stay in the region: 63.8% of Westchester’s and 42.5% of Teterboro’s are bound for New England, New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania. Outside that region, Florida and Virginia are the most common destination states from both airports.

Las Vegas and Van Nuys Round Out the Top Three

Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas (KLAS) ranks second with 1,101 unique departures. Most of its supply comes from aircraft based there: 68.4% of unique legs departing KLAS were listed on aircraft whose recorded home base is KLAS, against 17.5% at Teterboro. Aircraft based elsewhere, such as those repositioning after one-way trips into the city for conventions, sports and leisure weekends, make up a smaller share.

Las Vegas supply is more concentrated than Teterboro’s. In the window, 65 operators had legs departing KLAS, and the largest single operator accounts for 37.9% of its unique departures.

Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) ranks third with 944. KVNY is the hub of private aviation in the Los Angeles area, preferred over LAX and Burbank for its dedicated FBOs, faster turnarounds and direct ramp access.

Texas Places Three Airports in the Top 10

Houston Hobby (KHOU, 655), Dallas Love Field (KDAL, 590) and El Paso (KELP, 494) rank sixth, seventh and eighth, for a combined 1,739 unique departures. The next Texas airports are San Antonio (KSAT, 424) and Austin (KAUS, 420), in 14th and 15th place.

Miami, Scottsdale and Lincoln Complete the List

Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (KOPF) ranks fifth with 751 and is the only Florida airport in the top 10. Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International (KFLL) just misses in 11th place with 434. Scottsdale (KSDL) ranks ninth with 454.

Two entries reflect one fleet more than a broad local market. A single operator accounts for 91.1% of El Paso’s unique departures and 93.2% of Lincoln’s (KLNK, 10th with 442), compared with 11.2% at Teterboro. When one operator runs a large fleet from an airport, its repositioning flights alone can lift that airport into the rankings.

What This Means for Travelers Searching for Empty Legs

Top airports had the deepest selection, but most supply was elsewhere. The top 10 airports account for 18.8% of US-origin unique legs in the index; the rest were listed to depart from 1,166 other US airports. Hubs like KTEB and KLAS had the most listed departures in the window, but it pays to search your nearest airport too.

Destination demand creates return supply. Aircraft that fly passengers one way to a destination often reposition out of it empty. A traveler flying commercially into a busy destination can search SkyAccess for empty legs departing that airport toward home for the return trip.

Search more than one New York area airport. Teterboro and Westchester had the most New York area supply, and Republic Airport on Long Island had the next most. Travelers in the New York area get better results by searching KTEB, KHPN and Republic (KFRG).

How This Compares to the SkyAccess Empty Leg Index

The SkyAccess Empty Leg Index, published monthly, ranks the busiest repositioning corridors, with both directions of a route combined and airports grouped by metro, over the past year plus currently listed future flights. The airport index ranks airports by departure volume rather than by city pair.

The two indexes are complementary. The corridor index shows which city pairs see the most repositioning traffic over the past year plus listed future flights; the airport index shows where supply was concentrated by departure airport in a single quarter.

Booking an Empty Leg From a Top-10 Airport

SkyAccess is the world’s largest empty leg marketplace by listing volume, with 5,000+ live empty leg flights from 900+ FAA Part 135 (and international equivalent) certified charter operators. Every listing is a whole-aircraft booking made directly on the marketplace.

Empty legs typically run 25 to 75% below a comparable full charter. The savings vary by route, aircraft type and how close to departure you book.

To search empty legs from any airport in this index, visit skyaccess.com and filter by departure airport code, or open the airport pages linked in the table above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which US airport has the most empty leg flights?

Teterboro Airport (KTEB) in New Jersey had the most empty leg departures in the SkyAccess marketplace, with 1,460 unique legs departing between July 1 and September 28, 2026. Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas (KLAS) ranked second with 1,101.

Why does Teterboro have the most empty legs?

Teterboro is the main private aviation airport serving Manhattan and has no scheduled airline service. Aircraft that drop passengers in the New York area often reposition out of KTEB, and those repositioning flights show up as empty legs. Its supply is also broadly based: 117 different operators had legs departing KTEB in the window, and no single operator accounts for more than 11.2% of its departures.

Why does Las Vegas rank so high for empty legs?

Mostly because of aircraft based there. KLAS ranks second in the index with 1,101 unique departures. Of those, 68.4% were listed on aircraft whose recorded home base is KLAS, compared with 17.5% at Teterboro. Its supply is also concentrated: the largest single operator accounts for 37.9% of unique departures from KLAS, compared with 11.2% at Teterboro. Aircraft based elsewhere, such as those repositioning after one-way trips into the city, make up a smaller share.

What is an airport empty leg index?

An airport empty leg index ranks airports by the number of empty leg flights departing from each one. It is different from a route index, which ranks origin and destination pairs. The SkyAccess Airport Empty Leg Index is drawn from the SkyAccess marketplace database. Listing records with the same departure airport, arrival airport, departure time, tail number and aircraft model count as one leg.

Are empty legs from major airports cheaper?

Not necessarily. Airports with more departures, like KTEB and KLAS in this index, give travelers more legs, departure times and aircraft types to compare. Pricing depends on the route, the aircraft and how close to the departure date you book.

What period does this index cover?

This edition covers empty legs departing July 1 to September 28, 2026. It was last updated September 29, 2026 to exclude deleted records and to count exact duplicate copies of a leg once.