A Journey to Recovery Florida Airports’ Continued Recovery from COVID-19

Jacob Rainerson Staff Reporter

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the aviation industry in ways we haven’t seen in decades. 2019 was one of the best years for passenger numbers at many national airports, including locally in Florida. More than 50 million people walked through the concourses of the Orlando International Airport (MCO) in 2019, marking nearly ten years of continuous growth for the airport. More locally, Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) saw more than 700,000 passengers in 2019, not the best numbers the airport has seen, but on par with historical trends.

Early 2020 saw good passenger numbers for Orlando and Daytona until the pandemic shattered all hopes for a good year in aviation. MCO and DAB saw roughly 50% of their passenger numbers drop in 2020 because of the pandemic. After the pandemic broke out, Daytona Beach International’s passenger numbers dropped by 93% in April 2020, down to less than 5,000 passengers, compared to 66,000 in 2019.

Despite continued COVID-19 fears and international travel restrictions, MCO fared decently well in 2021 and 2022, with passenger numbers in 2022 nearly identical to those seen in 2019. 50 million passengers once again walked the concourses of Orlando International Airport last year, and airport officials expect the airport to set a record in 2023.

Part of the successful recovery for MCO can be attributed to the large increase in routes served from the airport. 2022 saw the resumption or addition of many international and domestic routes. Some of the more interesting additions and resumptions we will see in 2023 include Breeze Airways’ continued expansion to Akron/Canton, Fayetteville/Bentonville, Huntsville,

Orange County (CA), and Tulsa.

Sun Country Airlines will begin flying to Eau Claire and Green Bay, Wisconsin; Virgin Atlantic will resume flying to Edinburgh; Icelandair will resume flying to Reykjavik, and Avelo will bring air service back to the state of Delaware with non-stop service from MCO to Wilmington!

As for Daytona Beach, the airport has not recovered as quickly as Orlando. 2022 saw passenger numbers increase to 586,000, less than a 2% increase over 2021. Load factors varied heavily throughout 2022, ranging from 74% to as high as 95%. Delta continues to fly four times daily to Atlanta, primarily using their 737-900 aircraft.

The airport continues to grow, with American Airlines now serving Charlotte roughly three times daily on their Airbus A319 aircraft with seasonal service to Dallas, Philadelphia, and Reagan-National in D.C.

What about the new air service to DAB? The airport received a grant in 2022 to aid in the recruitment of non-stop air service to the Chicago area. No airline has been named at this time, but airport officials say that resumption of service to Chicago would alleviate major traffic leakage to other airports in Jacksonville and Orlando. United was the last airline to serve this route.