Orlando International Airport (MCO) closed 2019 with record-breaking domestic and international traffic, ending the year with a staggering 50.6 million annual passengers visiting Florida’s busiest airport.
Total passenger traffic was up 6.1 percent last year compared to 2018, a direct result of the thriving Central Florida economy and success within the region’s tourism industry.
“Orlando lnternational’s growth in 2019 is due to a combination of factors,” said Phil Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. “A strong Central Florida economy, continued innovative attractions being unveiled by the local theme parks, increased air service to new markets around the world and more seats coming into the area all equal record traffic at MCO.”
Special events or new attractions that helped bolster Orlando lnternational’s passenger traffic include the football favorites the 2019 Pro Bowl and The Under Armour All-America Football Game and the opening of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Univeral’s Islands of Adventure and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park.
New air service added in 2019 played a critical role in MCO reaching this milestone. Enhanced service to 22 existing destinations and all-new service to five previously unserved destinations was added last year between Frontier, Spirit, Aerolineas Argentinas, GOL, Silver, Southwest, Sun Country and Swoop airlines.
Additionally, Orlando International ended 2019 with a 5.9 percent increase in seat capacity – an incredible spike of 3.25 million seats. The two biggest contributors were Spirit and Frontier airlines, which added 1.8 million and 1.1 million seats in 2019, respectively.
2019 Statistical Data:
- International traffic increased 8.4 percent for the year bringing international visitation to an all-time high of 7,157,074 for 2019
- Domestic passenger traffic climbed by 5.7 percent to a new high of 43,455,953 for the year
- Combined, both domestic and international traffic was up to 50,613,072 passengers, an increase of 6.1 percent over 2018
December 2019 Statistical Data:
- Domestic traffic was up nearly 9.3 percent with some 4,037,028 passengers in December
- International passenger volume registered its second monthly decline falling some 4 percent to 596,901 total travelers
- Combined, the strong domestic numbers bolstered the month bringing total passenger traffic up 7.3 percent with 4,633,929 travelers in December.
