OIA tops 43M annual passengers for first time

Orlando International Airport reported Tuesday that its annual passenger count has topped 43 million for the first time.

A 12-month count of 43.1 million passengers was through June, while every month for more than the past three years has seen an uptick in passengers. In June, OIA saw a 12 percent bump in international traveling, putting that volume at 469,670 passengers.

Airport officials attribute a significant part of that increase to Air Berlin’s first full month of service.

The count of travelers from within the U.S. in June rose 6.6 percent, meaning far more domestic passengers, or 3.3 million, passed through the airport that month than live in the Orlando metro area, which is 2.4 million.

“While we enthusiastically welcome our 39th straight month of overall passenger growth and this new record of 43 million, we also face the reality that our terminal facilities are nearing capacity,” said Phil Brown, airport director.

OIA, run by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, is the nation’s 13th largest for passenger volume. Traffic is surging at other major airports in the U.S.

The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, for example, screened 92,421 passengers on June 30, a daily record. Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport had its busiest May ever this year with 4.2 million passengers.

OIA plans to build a new terminal that ultimately may match the existing terminal in size with almost 120 gates. But with the opening of a new terminal years away, the airport also is pushing to expand ticket lobbies on both sides, A and B, of the existing terminal.

Construction is being done with as little disruption as possible to airline-ticket counters. But the scene has a checkered appearance; some of the area is newly renovated with more room and modern digital features; other sections are tidy work zones.