Two years after the pandemic reduced global air travel to record lows, Miami International Airport (MIA) is experiencing its busiest year ever and is on track to exceed 50 million annual passengers for the first time in its history. MIA’s previous annual record is 45.9 million passengers, set in 2019.
According to statistics released this week, MIA served 25.5 million passengers during the first six months of 2022, an 8.5% increase from the midpoint of the airport’s record year in 2019. Domestic passengers led the way with an increase of 26% compared to 2019 for 15.3 million travelers so far this year, while the number of international passengers of 10.2 million was 10.5% below its 2019 level, but 102% above the midpoint of last year, as global travel continues to recover steadily.
MIA’s rebound since the pandemic is the strongest among all major US hubs, according to Airports Council International-North America. A recent industry organization report ranked MIA as the fastest-growing large US airport for airline seat capacity (page 22) in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2019, and one of only six US airports with positive growth during that period. In 2021, MIA also became the busiest US airport for international passenger traffic, remained the busiest US airport for international cargo traffic, and climbed to 12th place among airports in the world. to total passengers and to position 9 in aircraft movements.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said, “Congratulations to MIA for leading the nation in passenger growth since the pandemic travel downturn. Our county is experiencing greater tourism growth than any other community in the country, which means a stronger economy and greater job opportunities for our residents.
After two consecutive years of record growth, cargo shipments at MIA also continued to rise by more than 1.3 million tons through June, an increase of 3.2% from last year. International freight increased 2.7%, while domestic tonnage grew 5.8% year over year.
Ralph Cutié, Director and CEO of MIA said: “We are delighted to see MIA reach new heights in 2022 and to be on track for our best traffic year yet. Thanks to our airlines and federal partners, we are proud to welcome more visitors and cargo to Miami-Dade County than ever before, and we look forward to an even more successful second half of the year.”