Almost 900,000 passengers flew from MCO, exceeding previous expectations
Orlando International airport (MCO) was recorded by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as being the busiest airport in the US for departures for 18 out of the 21 holiday travel days at the end of 2020.
Throughout that period, Orlando, Miami and Fort Lauderdale combined were responsible for 10 per cent of all departure traffic in the US.
Phil Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, said: “The 21-day holiday travel period was better than we projected at Orlando International Airport. We ranked busiest airport in the nation for departing passengers, consistently.
“The introduction of a vaccine to combat COVID-19, combined with pent up demand, low air fares and our emphasis on a clean and safe travel environment for our guests, all contributed to the strong numbers.”
It was previously predicted that around 775,000 people would fly from Orlando over Christmas. The total of almost 900,000 passengers therefore exceeded expectations, although traffic was still down by 42 percent compared with the previous year.
MCO has recovered over 85 per cent of its pre-COVID 19 domestic travel routes.
