How Busy is the Orlando Airport Now Compared to Last Year?

With several different theme park options, Orlando is a major destination for tourism. So it’s no surprise that the Orlando International Airport is usually pretty busy, no matter what time of year you visit.

Holiday crowds at the Orlando International Airport

Over the last couple of years, however, the number of people coming through this airport (and most other airports) dropped significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re visiting Orlando soon, you might be wondering what the crowds look like now. Let’s find out!

The Orlando Business Journal researched 12 of the most popular airlines that fly through the Orlando International Airport. They found that flights from these airlines “were up 36%” this quarter compared to the same time last year.

Orlando International Airport

These airlines have 37,276 flights scheduled between January and March 2022. In the first quarter of 2021, only 27,304 flights were scheduled. That’s about 6.57 million airline seats in the first part of 2022 compared with 4.77 million in the first part of 2021.

Airplane

The significant increase shows that travel is continuing to grow and return to pre-pandemic levels after the drop in 2020.

Orlando International Airport crowds

Of the first three months in 2022, March is expected to be the busiest at the Orlando International Airport, with 13,411 flights and 2.36 million passenger seats.

Orlando International Airport

This quarter (in 2022), Southwest Airlines is going to have the most flights in and out of the Orlando airport. They have over 9,018 flights planned, which is a 25% increase from the same time last year, according to the Orlando Business Journal. Spirit Airlines will be number 2, with 5,497 flights.