The Florida Department of Transportation released new statistics on April 3, 2019 that show the Orlando International Airport (MCO) generates more than $41 billion of economic impact annually for Central Florida. That is the highest for any of the airports in the state of Florida.
A current study from the Florida Statewide Aviation Economic Impact Study also shows that the Orlando International Airport has sustained more than 343,000 jobs, which is also the top of the state.
Here are the top five commercial service highest-ranking airports:
- Orlando International Airport — $41,128,183,000
- Miami International Airport — $33,195,200,000
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International — $20,803,987,000
- Tampa International Airport — $14,451,785,000
- Southwest Florida International Airport — $8,405,324,00
Phil Brown, the CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority says “Orlando International Airport’s diversity of international and domestic flights, along with proximity to the region’s key economic assets provide a dynamic catalyst for robust growth.” This study was last conducted in 2014, and MCO was estimated at $31 billion. This is a 31% increase, which parallels MCO’s record of 48 million passengers annually. The FDOT began to update this study in October of 2016 and completed it in March 2019. This new study also ranks the Orlando Executive Airport as one of the top general aviation airports in the state at $623 million in economic impact.
The Orlando International Airport has supported Orlando’s booming tourism industry by creating more non-stop domestic flights than any other airport in Florida, all while maintaining more than 60 non-stop international flights. MCO is the busiest airport in Florida with more than 47.9 million annual passengers, and the 10th busiest in the United States. The Orlando International Airport is also currently engaged in a $4.27 billion Capital Improvement Program to increase their capacity and to boost customer convenience. The economic impact from the aviation industry in the state of Florida has reached $175 billion overall.
For more information, contact Carolyn Fennel or Rod Johnson in the Office of Public Affairs at the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority at 407-825-2055. More on the state’s report is available at www.fdot.gov.
Information provided by the FDOT.
