Airport elevators, escalators and moving walkways at Miami International Airport (MIA) are set for fast-track overhaul.
Miami International Airport’s Modernization in Action (MIA) Plan has been expedited, with the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners approving a contract potentially worth $12m annually that will upgrade 372 aged elevators, escalators, and moving walkways at the Florida airport, including 145 units that will receive a complete modernisation. Over the next five to 10 years of the contract, an average of at least 30 conveyance units at MIA are scheduled to be upgraded or replaced annually.
“This is a game-changer that will future-proof the conveyance units at Miami International Airport for decades to come. Important investments like these will ensure the gateway to our community is more efficient and customer-friendly than ever before,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
The new contract will rapidly accelerate the MIA Plan, which involves renovating all of the airport’s 616 conveyance units as well as its 126 passenger loading bridges and 203 public bathrooms in phases over the next five to ten years. Despite the ageing conveyance units requiring major renovation or repair, less than 10% of the 616 units at the airport are out of service for maintenance on an average day.
MIA continues to climb the ranks among the busiest airports in the world, and our goal is to match that growth with customer service excellence at all of our touchpoints
The new contract involves the upgrade of 372 aged elevators
The contract’s approval is welcome news for MIA, which has been the fastest-growing airport in the US and the second-fastest-growing in the world in airline seats since 2019, according to analytics provider Cirium. MIA served an all-time high of 50.7 million travellers in 2022, which was an increase of 10% over its previous record set in 2019 before the pandemic. Through the first half of 2023, passenger traffic at MIA is up 2.6%, putting it on pace to serve more than 52 million passengers this year. MIA has been welcoming these record numbers around the clock while working to modernise its facility and navigate global supply chain delays for conveyance parts.
“We know that having any conveyance unit out of service on any given day is still a disruption to some of our visitors, so we are asking travellers to please pardon our progress while we transition MIA to becoming more future-ready. MIA continues to climb the ranks among the busiest airports in the world, and our goal is to match that growth with customer service excellence at all of our touchpoints,” said Ralph Cutie, MIA director and CEO.
Images: Miami International Airport
