Miami’s airport just had its busiest year ever — and now it’s ranked No. 1 in Florida

Miami International Airport marked a record-breaking 50.6 million passengers in 2022, the busiest year on record, according to county officials.

MIA barely squeaked by Orlando International Airport’s 50.1 million passengers in 2022, making it the busiest airport in Florida for the first time in six years.

The airport’s performance in 2022 surpassed its previous record of 45.9 million passengers in 2019, before the COVID pandemic brought air travel to a near standstill in 2020.

“Those 50.6 million passengers represent more than just a big number,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava at a news conference announcing the record-breaking year. “These are millions of guests in our community who are supporting our hotels, our restaurants and other businesses, and most importantly, creating jobs right here in Miami-Dade County.”

It’s been a blockbuster year for Miami-Dade’s tourism industry, with record-breaking numbers of visitors and sky-high revenue from tourism dollars.

Miami became a popular destination for domestic tourists during the pandemic due to year-round sunshine and relaxed COVID-19 restrictions. That surge in domestic tourism saved the county’s myriad tourism businesses, which usually depend on a steady stream of visitors from South America and Europe who have been slow to return in pre-pandemic numbers.

Even with historic airport traffic in 2022, MIA was still short a million international passengers in 2022 compared to 2019. Of the 50.6 million passengers in 2022, 29.3 million were domestic travelers and 21.3 million international passengers.

Even with international visitors still down due to the pandemic, MIA was still the No. 1 airport for international visitors and freight in the United States. The airport added 15 international flights in 2022 to destinations in the Caribbean, South America, Europe and Canada.

MIA’s largest carrier, American Airlines, also set a record this year. The airline, which represents 60.6% of MIA’s total seat capacity, transported 31.2 million passengers in Miami.

American Airlines is the third largest private employer in Miami-Dade, with 13,500 MIA-based employees. AA expanded its footprint at MIA this year, with new flights to Cuba, Nicaragua, and winter seasonal flights to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and upstate New York.

While Miami’s tourism industry proponents are celebrating last year’s stellar performance, there’s some apprehension going into 2023, with signs of recession and economic downturn on the horizon.

“I want to challenge all of us, because we all want to be back in this position next year,” said David Whitaker, the CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Miami-Dade County’s destination marketing agency. “We can’t go back, we’re No. 1 now and No. 1 feels good, but we can’t become No. 3 or No. 7. We can’t take this success for granted.”

But the Miami airport’s performance in January gives the tourism industry reason to still be optimistic.

January 2023 already was the busiest January on record at MIA, with 4.5 million passengers, beating out the 4.2 million passengers from January 2020.