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Orlando International Airport sees ‘best day in months,’ officials say

After taking hit from coronavirus, air travel starting to recover

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando International Airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell said she never thought a 79% drop in passenger traffic would be a good day but compared to travel numbers seen during the coronavirus pandemic, Sunday was a good day.

On Sunday, 15,147 passengers departed Orlando International Airport, the most since March 22.

"It was truly welcome," Fennell said.

For perspective, OIA officials said passenger traffic fell 97% at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On a normal day this time of year, OIA would regularly see some 74,000 passengers departing.

Fennell said it's clear that visitors are beginning to return to Central Florida.

Universal Studios opened last week and SeaWorld is reopening this week.

The TSA reported 441,225 total travelers throughput nationwide on Sunday, marking the busiest day since the coronavirus pandemic took a toll on air travel. That’s compared to 87,100 on April 14.

On a normal day, TSA officials said airports would regularly see nearly 2.7 million passengers.

Most airlines are requiring passengers to wear masks when they board, although passengers said some are removing them once they’re on the aircraft.

OIA officials said the airport has implemented “enhanced sanitization,” including focused cleaning of elevator buttons, chairs and handrails.

Monday’s flight schedule showed 319 flights departing from and arriving at OIA. That’s compared to 900 on a normal day.


About the Author
Erik von Ancken headshot

Erik von Ancken anchors and reports for News 6 and is a two-time Emmy award-winning journalist in the prestigious and coveted "On-Camera Talent" categories for both anchoring and reporting.

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