Orlando International Airport (MCO), the gateway to Central Florida with its theme parks including the Walt Disney World Resort, spectacular beaches and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, has not only returned to pre-pandemic traffic levels but is experiencing a surge in passenger numbers that is expected to further increase.
“Just prior to the pandemic, our rolling 12-month passenger count through February of 2020 was over 51 million passengers. At the end of February this year, it was over 52 million, actually exceeding the highest number ever reached at this airport,” said Kevin Thibault, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) that operates and manages the airport.
Elevated Orlando Experience
He acknowledged that Orlando International and the community continue to grow. “Our challenge is to stay ahead of it, and make sure we provide a seamless experience at both arrivals and departures, as well as the amenities that people expect.”
With this mission, the airport embarked on a journey of enhancement well before the pandemic. In September 2022, MCO opened a new, state-of-the-art $2.8 billion Terminal C, a next-level facility that can accommodate an additional 10 to 12 million annual passengers of capacity and elevate the customer experience. The 1.8 million-square-foot Terminal C is the largest (by size) terminal project completed in the United States in recent years.
A new train station at the airport was also recently unveiled by Brightline, the only provider of modern, eco-friendly, intercity rail in America, that will provide high-speed passenger rail service between Orlando International Airport and South Florida, connecting the two of the fastest growing regions in the state.
“Orlando International will be the only airport in the nation with an intercity high-speed passenger rail station built into an airport. A true game changer with regard to mobility options for the Central Florida region. We’re excited to be partners with Brightline for this transformative moment in transportation,” acknowledged Mr Thibault.
Sustainable progress
The intermodal project, using a resiliency and sustainability management plan, meets GOAA’s goals to reduce its carbon footprint and environmental impact. The train station adheres to LEED sustainable practices in both its design as well as its implementation and development.
Some of the design strategies included site and building modeling analysis, next-generation refrigerants, responsive lighting systems and selected materials that favor a reduction in embodied carbon and emissions.
The efforts towards sustain-able development were duly recognised, as MCO just recently won two sustainability awards at the US Green Building Council’s Leadership Awards – one for its automated people mover/intermodal terminal facility and the other for its Terminal C project. The latter was awarded for implementing an exceptional and innovative technology that improves a building’s sustainable design and operations.
“We strive to keep sustainability at the forefront. The awards reflect things that we control as an airport exclusively. But we also work with many partners, airlines as well as organisations, to continue to move the needle in sustainability in the right direction.”
Moving on, Mr Thibault affirmed that the first stage of Terminal C has been a highly successful venture, much needed to handle the current amount of volume of passengers, but it does not stop there – MCO has recently been awarded $69 million in federal funds for two Terminal C expansion projects.
These will include four additional Multiple Aircraft Ramp System (MARS) gates capable of serving either four wide-body or eight narrow-body aircraft, and the completion of an enclosed pedestrian connector bridge, which will provide direct access between the Train Station and Terminal C.
“As Orlando International continues to handle record-setting passenger totals, it is vital that airport improvement efforts keep pace with our traffic,” noted Mr Thibault. “Terminal C is the future of transportation in Central Florida and its multimodal connectivity will increase our capacity to accommodate projected future demand.”
Central Florida’s multi-modal hub
The growth of Orlando International Airport will also significantly support the development of the region. As Mr Thibault pointed out, new statistics released by the Florida Department of Transportation show that MCO generates more than $41 billion of direct and indirect economic activity annually for Central Florida. That represents the highest amount of any airport in the state of Florida.
Orlando International Airport supports the area’s thriving tourism industry and facilitates business travel and air cargo with more non-stop domestic air service than any other Florida airport while serving more than 50 non-stop international destinations.
“We recognise our role for the development of the local community and will continue to support economic development as an airport, but also in partnerships with local organisations,” said Mr Thibault, adding that Orlando Airport is also well placed to accommodate the emerging trend of so-called “bleisure travel”, the combination of business and holiday travel, enabled by the latest technology in recent years.
“We are fortunate here in Central Florida because we have the right environment for bleisure travel to occur. We have all the necessary convention facilities for business and as leisure travel picks up and merges with business travel, we will be one of the benefactors of that.”
Speaking about the future, he pointed out that GOAA is now in the process of updating its strategic plan for the next ten years to organize and articulate a vision for its future. As an economic generator for the Central Florida region, public involvement is also requested to help shape the Aviation Authority’s dynamic role in the community.
“One thing is for sure – this region continues to grow. This is a very positive development that gives us a lot of energy to further enhance what we now consider to be Central Florida’s multi-modal hub – Orlando International. It’s an exciting time.”
