Attention Travelers: A NEW Southwest Airlines Destination Is Coming to Orlando International Airport

Southwest Airlines is launching a NEW international route out of Orlando.

Southwest at Orlando International Airport

Beginning on April 7th, 2026, Southwest Airlines is launching a new international route from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten. The new route will be the airline’s first new international route at MCO since 2021, and will make them the only carrier offering direct service from Orlando to Princess Juliana International Airport.

The new route is part of Southwest’s growing expansion. They’re also adding a route between St. Maarten — which is made up of both the Netherlands’ constituent country of Sint Maarten and the French overseas collectivity of Saint-Martin — and Baltimore/Washington International Airport that same month. Southwest is also currently the largest carrier at MCO, serving more than 12.47 million of the airport’s total 57.21 million passengers in 2024

©Southwest

From the Orlando perspective, the new flight is adding another international destination to a seemingly growing international travel sector. According to the Orlando Business Journal, “Visit Orlando reported 6.5 million international visitors in 2024, a 5.9% increase over the previous year. Canada led the market with 1.29 million visitors, followed by the United Kingdom (907,900), Brazil (697,200), Mexico (438,000), and Colombia (343,000).”

Orlando International Airport

This has led to several airlines adding new international routes to the airport recently, including Viva Aerobus adding service to Mexico City’s newest airport this November, LATAM Airlines will begin service to Lima, Peru on October 26th, Porter Airlines beginning flights to Hamilton International Airport in Hamilton, Ontario on December 12th, and Southwest launching daily round-trip service between St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Orlando on February. 5th.