Last year, Miami International Airport once again became Florida's busiest airport, with 50.6 million passengers flying through the Florida airport. Orlando International Airport, located near the famous Disney World, occupied the number one spot in the Sunshine State for the previous seven years.

Taking back the #1 spot

According to the 2020 United States census, Miami is the second-largest city in Florida by population count, only behind Jacksonville. Until 2016, MIA had been Florida's busiest airport, with its warm weather, beautiful beaches, and nightlife attracting multiple tourists. MIA was and continues to be a major hub for travel to the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as many airlines providing flights to/from Europe.

In 2022, Miami had its busiest year ever, with 50.6 million passengers. The busiest airport in the US for international travel in 2021 was MIA, with 13.2 million international passengers. Last year, that number grew by 64% to 51 million. To celebrate the milestones, the airport hosted an event with Miami and Dade County Airport officials, including Miami Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

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American Airlines is a significant catalyst for the airport's passenger growth, using MIA as a hub for domestic and Latin American flights and even some transatlantic operations. 63% of MIA's passengers fly on AA metal. In 2022, American had 31.2 million passengers fly through MIA, up one million over 2021.

In 2022, 15 new international routes were added at MIA, six to the Caribbean (two of them to Cuba), five to South America (three to Brazil, two to Colombia), three to Europe (Dublin, Paris Orly, and Rome), and Vancouver, Canada.

Orlando International Airport, Florida's busiest airport for seven years, had half a million fewer passengers than MIA in 2022, with 50.1 million. While MCO saw a more considerable increase in international traffic, 84%, its 5.5 million passengers were less than half MIA's numbers. MCO's domestic traffic rose by 16% to 44.4 million passengers last year.

Recent MIA news

Early last month, American announced it was cutting its MIA - Tel Aviv (TLV) route, currently the longest from its Florida hub. The airline never specified the reason for removing the route from its network. Still, it said it would continue serving Israel from its hub in New York City at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

"As part of the continuous evaluation of our network, American Airlines has made the difficult decision to discontinue its Miami (MIA) – Tel Aviv (TLV) service effective March 24, 2023."

At the time of the announcement, Simple Flying covered the news and a few reasons that may have led AA to cut the route. You can read the full story here: American Airlines To Discontinue Miami-Tel Aviv Flights.

Source: Forbes

  • Spirit-Airlines-Airbus-A321-231-N684NK-(1)-1
    Miami International Airport
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    MIA/KMIA
    Country:
    United States
    CEO:
    Ralph Cutié
    Passenger Count :
    37,302,456 (2021)
    Runways :
    8L/26R - 2,621m (8,600ft) | 8R/26L - 3,202m (10,505ft) | 9/27 - 3,967m (13,015ft) | 12/30 - 2,853m (9,360ft)
    Terminals:
    North Terminal | Central Terminal | South Terminal