Orlando (MCO) ended 2021 as Florida’s top airport and the seventh in the United States, handling 40,351,062 passengers, representing a 79.72% recovery over 2019. Prior to the pandemic, Orlando (MCO) recorded 50,613,072 passengers.
“When the pandemic first hit, many predicted that recovery would take several years. By continuing airport operations and construction of the south terminal, our board demonstrated confidence in Central Florida’s amazing resiliency and 2021 turned out much better than anyone expected. I expect 2022 to be another year of growth for Orlando and the region” said Crason Good, president of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.
The domestic market saw the greatest recovery; major airlines such as American, Delta, and United increased capacity to Orlando (MCO) with the addition of widebody aircraft to their operations, significantly increasing seat supply. In addition, Hawaiian Airlines secured a new destination to Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL).
International traffic in the last few months of the year showed a significant recovery thanks to the resumption of several services from England and Brazil. Orlando (MCO) during 2021 obtained a link to London Heathrow (LHR) one of the main airports worldwide where British Airways and Virgin Atlantic currently operate this route.
From Brazil, Azul Linhas Aéreas will return its service from Viracopos (VCP) with four weekly flights on Airbus A330-900neo, in addition to LATAM Brazil’s service via São Paulo – Guarulhos (GRU). During the course of the Low-Cost carrier, Frontier Airlines inaugurated multiple destinations to Central America and the Caribbean, and Air Canada introduced widebody operations.
Statistical data for 2021
- Domestic traffic increased 92% over 2020, with a total of 38,400,632 passengers.
- International traffic increased 20.51% over 2020, with a total of 1,950,432 passengers. The recovery is thanks to the reopening of the United Kingdom and Brazil.
- Domestic cargo increased by 11.65% over 2020, with a total of 214,807 tons.
- International cargo increased by 9.87% over 2020, with a total of 7,582 tons.
- Air operations increased by 41.88% over 2020, with a total of 301,117.
TOP 5 Top Domestic Routes at Orlando (MCO)
(Records from November 2020 to October 2021)
| Rank | Airport | Passengers | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta, Georgia (ATL) | 975,000 | Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit |
| 2 | Newark, New Jersey (EWR) | 842,000 | Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, United |
| 3 | San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) | 821,000 | Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit |
| 4 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL) | 743,000 | American, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit |
| 5 | Chicago O' Hare, Illinois (ORD) | 642,000 | American, Frontier, Spirit, United |
Top airlines in Orlando (MCO)
(Records from November 2020 to October 2021)
| Carrier | Passengers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest | 8,684,000 | 24.05% |
| Spirit | 5,931,000 | 16.43% |
| Delta | 4,784,000 | 13.25% |
| Frontier | 4,594,000 | 12.72% |
| American | 4,577,000 | 12.67% |
| Other | 7,541,000 | 20.88% |
Data obtained from Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Orlando restarts and new routes in 2022
- Aeromexico: Monterrey (MTY) starting April 7.
- Air Transat: Halifax (YHZ) as of February 15.
- Avianca: Medellin – Rionegro (MDE) as of March 29.
- Frontier: Aguadilla (BQN) as of March 24.
- GOL: Brasilia (BSB) as of May 13.
- Southwest: Aruba (AUA) as of June 5.
- Virgin Atlantic: Edinburgh (EDI) as of March 30.
