Travel at Orlando airport rises 10 percent over Thanksgiving

Travel during the 12-day Thanksgiving holiday was up 10 percent at Orlando International Airport, said airport leaders.

About 1.4 million passengers flew into or out of Orlando International during the November holiday travel period, which was from Nov. 17 to Nov. 28.

“We prepared for the busy holiday season the same way we continue to prepare for record numbers of travelers on a daily basis,” said Phil Brown, the airport’s executive director. “By providing our passengers with the latest in technology and focusing on excellent customer service.”

On the 12-month rolling calendar, Orlando International had nearly 41.8 million passengers, a record for the Orange County airport. A strong December could result in the busiest ever calendar year for the facility.

“At this pace of growth, we are expecting to break all passenger records at MCO by exceeding 42 million travelers before the end of the year,” Brown said.

Operating well over the original capacity the north terminal was built for, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority is constructing a south terminal to accommodate the steady increase in passenger traffic. The north terminal is being renovated to expand its capacity to 45 million.

The $1.8 billion first phase of that project, which will add 16 new gates, is expected to open by the summer of 2020. Construction for the project could begin as early as the first quarter of this year.

International traffic increased 11.68 percent on the 12-month rolling calendar, with 5.59 million passengers. Domestic traffic was up nearly 8.2 percent, with 36.19 million passengers, said airport leaders.

In year-over-year data, international traffic was up 11 percent and domestic traffic increased 8 percent for the month.

A total of 3.4 million passengers traveled via Orlando International during the month, an increase of 6.3 percent over November 2015, airport leaders said.