Miami International Airport May Break 52 Million Passengers This Year

Summary

• Miami International Airport (MIA) served 26.2 million passengers in the first half of the year, a 2.6% increase from last year.
• MIA expects to reach over 52 million passengers by the end of 2023 if growth continues at this pace.
• Many airlines, including American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, will expand their services at MIA this winter.

Miami International Airport has announced an increase in passenger traffic in the first half of this year, leading to a projection of more than 50 million footfalls by year-end. The airport is slated to see increased airline operations in the coming months and will also upgrade its supporting infrastructure, such as its maintenance facility, in the next couple of years.

26 million passengers already

Miami International Airport (MIA) has announced that it has served nearly 26.2 million passengers in the first half of the year. This was an increase of 2.6% over its record-breaking year in 2022. If growth continues at this pace, MIA expects to see around 52 million passengers at the end of 2023. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava commented,

“On the heels of last year’s full recovery from the pandemic downturn, MIA continues to lead the way for our local tourism industry and the nation in terms of passenger growth and economic impact. I look forward to welcoming new and returning visitors to our beautiful paradise and continue to invest in our local economy.”

In June, the number of international passengers at MIA increased by 12% to 11.4 million. However, domestic passengers saw a decrease of 3.6% to 14.8 million. Still, Miami remains the fastest-growing US airport serving more than 30 million passengers since 2019, per Airports Council International-North America.

Growth projected

MIA is on a steady growth trajectory. In 2022, it saw over 50 million passengers, breaking its previous record of 45.9 million set in 2019 by 10%. While the figures for 2023 are already more than that of last year, there’s more growth to come.

American Airlines, which has a huge presence in MIA, recently announced that it will increase its seat capacity in Miami by 10% this winter. American already provides service from Miami to 150 destinations, including around 50 international destinations.

During winter, American will launch year-round service to two new domestic routes (Portland and Sacramento) and seasonal service to five other domestic cities (Buffalo, Cedar Rapids, Lexington, Wichita, and Wilmington), beginning in November and December.

Alaska Airlines will also begin a daily service to Portland from Miami in November, expanding on its daily Seattle-Miami service that commenced last June following a 10-year hiatus from serving the city.

Norse Atlantic has also added two new routes out of Miami for its winter schedule – Paris CDG and Berlin. The airline will also relocate all its South Florida flights to MIA, starting with four weekly flights to London Gatwick and Oslo – two destinations not currently served with nonstop flights at Miami.

The airport will also see its maintenance facility being upgraded in the long term, with the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners approving the construction of a 114,000-square-foot facility adjacent to AAR’s existing hangar at MIA.

AAR Corp and United Airlines recently signed an agreement to extend their existing airframe MRO services relationship through 2030, with AAR contracted to provide a minimum of 10 lines of maintenance support across its Miami and Rockford, Illinois, facilities. The additional agreement will create more than 250 AAR careers in Miami.

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• 

  Miami International Airport

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  MIA/KMIA

  Country:

  United States

  CEO:

  Ralph Cutié

  Passenger Count :

  37,302,456 (2021)

  Runways :

  8L/26R – 2,621m (8,600ft) |8R/26L – 3,202m (10,505ft) |9/27 – 3,967m (13,015ft) |12/30 – 2,853m (9,360ft)

  Terminals:

  North Terminal |Central Terminal |South Terminal