ORLANDO, FL. – The upcoming Memorial Day holiday is predicted to see passenger traffic heating up to near pre-pandemic levels at Florida’s busiest airport. When all of the projected numbers from the six-day travel period are compared to 2019 levels, Orlando International Airport (MCO) will see a difference of only 40,000 departures from previous records.
“Our Memorial Day holiday passenger forecast indicates that we are approaching 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels, which is a testament to the resiliency of Central Florida,” says Phil Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. “A combination of factors including the vaccines, availability of seats into the market and pent-up demand all point to a potentially strong summer travel season.”
Last year MCO recorded only 45,415 departures during the six-day Memorial Day period. Based upon those numbers, this year traffic is up a stunning 550 percent over COVID-19 pandemic levels with nearly 300,000 estimated departures.
Memorial Day Traffic Departure Comparisons
| 2019 Actual | 2020 Actual | 2021 Estimated | |
| Thursday, May 27 | 69,893 | 9,373 | 57,662 |
| Friday, May 28 | 72,881 | 9,375 | 55,986 |
| Saturday, May 29 | 68,647 | 6,732 | 57,863 |
| Sunday, May 30 | 62,342 | 8,465 | 64,187 |
| Monday, May 31 | 70,182 | 12,454 | 64,739 |
| Tuesday, June 1 | 65,419 | 8,389 | 55,963 |
