New routes started by the likes of American Airlines helped passenger traffic grow steadily at Miami International Airport (MIA) in the first half of the year.
The Florida gateway welcomed 23.4 million fliers in the six-month period, 688,000 more than the same month last year, for an increase of three per cent.
International travelers rose by 516,000 for a 4.7 per cent jump to 11.4 million, while domestic traffic grew by 172,000 for a 1.4 per cent increase to 12 million passengers.
The first half of 2019 saw MIA hub carrier American Airlines’ launch of Cordoba, Argentina service on 7 June, while four new international airlines entered the Miami market with new routes.
Low-cost carrier Norwegian launched daily nonstop service between MIA and London Gatwick Airport on 31 March; Royal Air Maroc launched the first-ever Miami-Casablanca route on 3 April, giving MIA and Florida’s only nonstop service to the continent; LOT Polish Airlines began the airport’s first-ever route to Poland with Warsaw service on 1 June; and French airline Corsair started weekly flights to Paris Orly Airport at MIA on 10 June.
“We have had an outstanding year so far in terms of expanding and diversifying our route network,” said Lester Sola, MIA director and CEO. “We look forward to the second half of 2019 bringing additional growth and more exciting route development announcements.”
