Holiday travel numbers make OIA busiest departure airport in U.S.
People arrive at Orlando International Airport on Thanksgiving eve, November 25, 2020, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
LAKE MARY, Fla) - Orlando InternationalAirport (OIA) reported a busy holiday travel season.
According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), MCO was the busiest airport in the nation for departures on 18 out of the 21 holiday travel days. Orlando, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale accounted for 10 percent of all the departure traffic in the country.
Phil Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, said the numbers exceeded expectations.
"The introduction of a vaccine to combat COVID 19 combined with pent up demand, low airfares, and our emphasis on a clean and safe travel environment for our guests all contributed to the strong numbers."
In total, nearly 900,000 passengers flew out of OIA for the holidays as compared to earlier estimates of 775,000. Still, overall traffic was down about 42% compared to last year’s 15 million
.