Orlando International Sees Busiest Week For Departing Passengers Since March

ORLANDO, FL. – Orlando International Airport’s (MCO) Transportation Security Administration agents screened approximately 36,292 people at security check points Sunday, making it the busiest day at the airport since March 17.

Sunday’s record kept Orlando International the busiest airport in the State of Florida, surpassing Fort Lauderdale by approximately 10,000 passengers. MCO was the fifth busiest airport in the country for departing passengers.

“As we begin to see traffic recover at Orlando International Airport, we remain committed to the health and safety of the traveling public,” said Phil Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. “Seeing our airport busy with increasing traffic, we believe, reflects a pent-up demand for travel across the country that we hope will continue through the upcoming holiday travel season.”

Between October 10 and October 17, approximately 229,892 people were screened at security check points, making it the airport’s busiest week since the beginning of the pandemic. As part of an Orlando-specific security protocol, about 1,000 of the daily screenings are airport personnel who must pass through a 100-percent TSA screening process to gain access to post-security areas within the airport.

Three of those days – October 11, 12 and 16 – had more than 30,000 passengers each, including previous benchmark days. Recent traffic numbers have consistently kept Orlando International one of the seven busiest airports in the country, easily ranking with Los Angeles, Denver and Atlanta.

The increase in passenger traffic comes at a time when air service continues to rebound, with a 29% increase in flights compared to last month. This month, 31 services were resumed to 27 markets by nine airlines, including resumption of non-stop service to nine markets, Westchester County, Portland (OR), San Antonio, San Diego, Memphis, Latrobe, Akron/Canton, Montreal and Toronto. Air service is expected to continue expanding in November with 33 services starting, including two new markets of Charleston, SC on Silver Airways and Ft. Myers, FL on Southwest as well as resumption of nonstop service to six markets: Harrisburg, Madison, Myrtle Beach, Oklahoma City, Omaha and Portland (ME).

Orlando International currently offers service to eight international destinations in Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean with non-stop service to Cancun, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Montego Bay, Montreal, Panama City, Santo Domingo and Toronto. All international service is subject to change based on federal travel restrictions and as more service becomes available that information will be shared on our website.

Basic MCO Information: In 2019, Orlando International Airport welcomed more than 50 million annual passengers making it the busiest airport in the state and the 10th busiest in the U.S.