Sky’s the limit as Orlando International Airport continues expansion
Writer: Pablo Marquez
January 2025 — Among the Top 10 busiest airports in the United States, Orlando International Airport (MCO) is showing that the sky’s the limit (literally). With an increasing yearly passenger traffic along with major facility renovations and new flight routes, Central Florida’s main airport is bringing more people to the Greater Orlando region — along with job and business opportunities.
“We’re a huge economic driver to the region, providing nearly $42 billion in annual economic benefit, which is just as much as a major theme park,” Kevin Thibault, outgoing CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA), told Invest: Greater Orlando 2023-2024. During his two-year tenure, Thibault and his team opened the $2.8 billion Terminal C, which stands adjacent to the Brightline train station.
“When you look back at what has been accomplished in the past two years, I am confident that this airport is positioned for continued greatness in the years to come,” he said in a press release announcing his resignation effective Jan. 31 2025.
According to GOAA November 2024 data, MCO saw more than 57 million in passenger traffic in the last 12 months, with a daily average of 156,600. Passenger traffic showed that nearly 50 million of those passengers accounted for domestic travel and the remaining 7.7 million accounted for international travel. The same data source shows that there were 381,418 passenger operations in the last twelve months, with an average of 1,042 daily passenger operations. All of this traffic airline operations were carried out by 39 passenger airlines that operate out of Orlando’s airport. The top three largest airlines that currently operate at the Orlando International Airport are Frontier Airlines, American Airlines, and JetBlue Airlines.
The airport is expanding operations by bringing more than 22 new flight routes that will debut in 2025. These new routes will include first-time flights to some metropolitan cities in the U.S. as well as international destinations in France and Germany.
To increase annual traffic capacity and improve passenger experience, MCO is currently undergoing major renovation projects. Terminal upgrades include renovating the original Terminal A and Terminal B buildings, as well as adding eight more gates to Terminal C, which opened in 2022. Parking improvements are also underway, as the airport keeps expanding parking facilities.
With the purpose of bringing aeronautical development to the Orlando International Airport, the GOAA recently announced a relationship agreement with United Airlines. The lease for a new $300-plus million Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) will include the construction of new hangars, warehouse and renovations. In light of this new agreement, United will be able to build a 354,400-square-foot hangar that will be able to accommodate multiple combinations of narrow-and-wide-body aircraft, thus increasing the company’s flight operations in Central Florida.
“This new state-of-the-art facility will bring our team closer together and create new synergies. Expanding our footprint in Orlando is also part of our larger strategy to make the most of our planned work to improve reliability and being more proactive and predictive about each airframe we work in Heavy Maintenance,” said Maria Deacon, Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at United Airlines, as cited by West Orlando News.
Orlando International Airport ranked at No. 7 in the list of the Top 15 Busiest Airports in the United States, making it the busiest airport in the State of Florida. The airport offers non-stop service to 61 international destinations, with most international air routes heading to Canada, Europe, and Central and South America. As far as domestic flights go, the airport offers non-stop service to 116 U.S. destinations, covering most of the major metropolitan areas and cities in the country.
In terms of economic output, MCO supports approximately 256,000 jobs (directly and indirectly) and accounts for around $9 billion in annual visitor spending.
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