- Özgür Töre
Orlando International Airport (MCO) finally broke 50 million annual passengers on a 12-month rolling calendar. The record-breaking figure was met in October, which was closed out just earlier this month.
In total, the rolling 12-month passenger total now stands at 50.155 million, which is up 6.7 percent from September’s rolling total. This makes Orlando International the first Florida airport to surpass that 50 million annual passenger figure.
“We could not be more pleased that we became the first Florida airport to hit such an incredible milestone,” said Phil Brown, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority’s Chief Executive Officer. “This milestone is the direct result of the amount of connectivity and air service offered here at Florida’s busiest airport.”
Overall, passenger traffic increased by 9.2 percent for the month, with domestic traffic up 11.2 percent and international traffic down about 3 percent.
The decrease in international traffic is partially the result of Thomas Cook Airlines closing at the end of September. Thomas Cook had served MCO since 2014, averaging between two and 16 flights per week depending on the time of year. The airline offered service between Orlando and destinations like Manchester, London and Glasgow.
October’s increases reflect an strong increase in domestic passenger figures with Spirit, JetBlue, Frontier and Delta airlines adding more than 363,000 additional passengers compared to last October.
October 2019 Statistical Data:
- Domestic traffic was up 11.15 percent with 3,619,319 arrivals and departures
- International passenger volume was down 3.04 percent with 516,980 passengers
- Combined passenger traffic totaled 4,136,299, a 9.15 percent increase year-over-year for October
