Orlando International Airport Climbs to 7th Busiest in the US

14 days ago in "Air Travel"

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Orlando International Airport

Posted: Tuesday July 28, 2026 7:32am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Orlando International Airport is still the busiest airport in Florida, and it just climbed higher in the national rankings. Airports Council International North America (ACI-NA) released its 2025 airport traffic rankings, and Orlando International Airport (MCO) moved from 9th place in 2024 up to 7th place in 2025.

MCO also ranks as the 25th busiest airport in the world.

Terminal C at Orlando International Airport. Photo by Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA)

Passenger Numbers at MCO

Passenger traffic at MCO grew slightly in 2025, reaching 57,675,573 travelers. That's up from 57,211,628 in 2024. Some of that growth came from new international routes. Orlando added three new nonstop flights across the Atlantic this year, to Munich, Madrid, and Paris.

Nationally, passenger traffic dropped 0.7 percent in 2025 compared to 2024. Domestic passenger volumes fell 1.0 percent, while international travel grew 0.3 percent. MCO went the other direction, posting a 0.8 percent increase in total passengers.

GOAA CEO Lance Lyttle pointed to Central Florida's continued growth and appeal as reasons behind the numbers, adding that a strategic vision for the airport will guide customer service and infrastructure improvements in the years ahead.

Terminal C at Orlando International Airport. Photo by Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA)

Top 10 Busiest US Airports in 2025

Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson stayed the busiest airport in the country, with 106,302,208 passengers, down 1.6 percent from 2024. Dallas Fort Worth held second place with 85,660,127 passengers, down 2.5 percent, followed by Chicago O'Hare in third with 84,856,018 passengers, up 6.0 percent. Denver International came in fourth with 82,427,962 passengers, essentially flat with a 0.1 percent increase.

Los Angeles International ranked fifth with 73,709,594 passengers, down 3.8 percent, and John F. Kennedy International in New York took sixth with 62,629,455 passengers, down 1.0 percent. Orlando International rounded out the top seven with 57,675,573 passengers, up 0.8 percent, the only airport in the top eight to post growth.

Miami International followed in eighth with 55,314,661 passengers, down 1.1 percent. Harry Reid International in Las Vegas placed ninth with 55,030,375 passengers, down 5.9 percent, the steepest decline in the top 10. San Francisco International closed out the list in tenth with 54,532,613 passengers, up 4.3 percent.

What's Next for MCO

The GOAA board approved a refined long-term plan for MCO and Orlando Executive Airport (ORL) in October 2025. Projects in that plan include:

A new baggage handling system for Terminals A and B by 2030
8,000 additional public parking spaces through expansions of Garages A and C, plus rental car improvements, by 2030
Upgraded and added restrooms in Terminals A and B, with renovations to Levels 2 and 3
A selected concept and system for moving passengers through Terminal C's post-security area, expected within fiscal year 2026

Discuss on the Forums

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the.dreamfinder3 days ago

One interesting thing to note about MCO is that it is a fairly competitive airport because no one airline controls the majority of flight share. Southwest comes closest at 23%. All of the airports above it on the rankings, with the possible exception of JFK, are hub airports with the majority of flights through one carrier.

Sirwalterraleigh13 days ago

Correct…but the whole point of putting it in here is to imply that business is good for parks in lake buena vista…implication is king Of course it’s not

monothingie14 days ago

MCO 2025 Monthly Arrival Breakdown MonthArriving Passengers (Deplaned)*Average Daily Passenger ArrivalsApprox. Arriving Flights** January[/td]~2,382,000[/td]~76,800[/td]~16,100[/td] February[/td]~2,295,000[/td]~82,000[/td]~15,200[/td] March [I](Peak)[/I][/td]~2,710,000[/td]~87,400[/td]~17,200[/td] April[/td]~2,480,000[/td]~82,700[/td]~16,300[/td] May[/td]~2,410,000[/td]~77,700[/td]~16,100[/td] June[/td]~2,490,000[/td]~83,000[/td]~16,400[/td] July[/td]~2,536,000[/td]~81,800[/td]~16,600[/td] August[/td]~2,327,000[/td]~75,100[/td]~15,800[/td] September [I](Lull)[/I][/td]~2,110,000[/td]~70,300[/td]~14,800[/td] October[/td]~2,360,000[/td]~76,100[/td]~15,700[/td] November[/td]~2,330,000[/td]~77,700[/td]~15,600[/td] December [I](Peak)[/I][/td]~2,699,000[/td]~87,100[/td]~17,000[/td] Monthly Average[/td]~2,408,100[/td]~79,170[/td]~16,065[/td] [/TABLE] Chew on this, even though Disney is sucking wind during the summer, the number of flights and passenger arrivals are above average for both June and July. People are coming to Florida, despite the heat. So what is it??

Disstevefan114 days ago

That's nothing.... Never mind EPIC. ;)

HauntedPirate14 days ago

The growth in traffic translates to 1275 additional people per day. I think this is simply more people using MCO as an entry/exit point and exploring more of Florida because flights into many other airports are expensive and/or limited.