With three major airports in the Baltimore-Washington area, Maryland offers a wide range of options for the air traveler, including Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C., and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in northern Virginia.

BWI Thurgood Marshall and Dulles are full-service international airports; Reagan National serves the eastern United States, Canada and the Caribbean.  Maryland also has several regional airports in all corners of the state for private planes and jets.

BWI Thurgood Marshall connects to Amtrak's Northeast Corridor route for access to major east coast cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.. Reagan National connects with the Washington Metro subway system.

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI):
BWI is one of the fastest growing airports in North America, now handling more than 21 million passengers annually.  The State of Maryland is nearing completion of a $1.4 billion capital improvement program for BWI.  This will mean improved road access and parking, new gates and walkways, faster rail service connections, and a new open look.  Easy access at BWI offers travelers connections via Amtrak to other business centers along the U.S. East Coast.

Southwest Airlines currently handles more than half of the passengers in and out of BWI, with 11 million in 2007.  Five other airlines handle more than one million passengers annually - Air Tran, American, Delta, United and U.S. Airways.

Some features of BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and its services include: Travel from BWI Thurgood Marshall to other east coast locations is facilitated by the following:

• Passenger rail with easy access to more than 25 Amtrak trains operating between
  Washington, D.C. and New York City;
• A commuter rail system (MARC) with 39 trains serving the Baltimore-Washington area;
• Light rail service from BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport offering access to downtown Baltimore, Camden Yards, Penn Station, and employment centers in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties;
• An interstate highway link, I-195, connecting the airport to I-95.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) :
Situated along the Potomac River, Reagan National is Washington, D.C.'s downtown airport. It offers easy access to the nation's capital and the surrounding suburbs of Maryland and Virginia.  Reagan National is also conveniently located on Greater Washington's Metrorail system.

Commercial airlines fly more than 18 million passengers in and out of this historic airport each year.  Serving as a "short-haul" facility, Reagan National primarily serves east coast routes no further than 1,250 miles from Washington, D.C.  Six cities are served beyond this perimeter with daily flights - Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Seattle.  Thirteen passenger airlines serve the airport.  Daily nonstop service is currently authorized to 71 U.S. cities and direct service to three Canadian and Caribbean cities.

National's new terminal is the centerpiece of its $1 billion Capital Development Program to improve service and customer convenience.  Featuring a spacious one million square foot terminal, the Capital Development Program includes a more efficient roadway system, two large parking garages, and many new shops and restaurants.

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD):
Washington's Dulles airport operates 24 hours a day, with nonstop service to 81 U.S. cities and direct service to 39 foreign cities.  Thirty-one passenger airlines and four cargo integrators serve Washington Dulles.  In 2007 the airport served more than 24 million passengers with nearly six million of those passengers on international flights.

Washington Dulles is situated in Fairfax and Loudon Counties in Virginia, approximately 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C.  The 16-mile Dulles Airport Access Road provides two dedicated lanes in each direction and a direct connection to I-66 and the Capital Beltway (I-495).

A $4 billion dollar construction program begun in 2000 is adding two parking garages, a fourth runway, a new concourse, a new air traffic control tower, pedestrian walkways, and an airport train system.

Regional Airports

In addition to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Maryland offers seven regional airports with runways exceeding 5,000 feet that can handle corporate jets and prop-driven aircraft.

Source: Maryland Aviation Administration .

Additional transportation data for Maryland counties can be found in the Comparisons Tool .