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Miami International Airport set a new all-time record for annual passenger traffic with 35.7 million passengers in 2010, shattering the previous record of 34.5 million set in 1997. MIA’s total passenger count grew 5.4 percent, with international passengers increasing 5.8 percent to 16.9 million and domestic traffic jumping five percent to 18.8 million.
MIA continues to benefit from American Airlines’ expansion at its Latin American and Caribbean hub. Together with American Eagle, its regional affiliate, American Airlines added more than 30 new daily flights in 2010. Combined, American and American Eagle now operate 310 flights per day at MIA and handle approximately 70 percent of the airport’s total passenger traffic.
Eight other carriers began new international routes last year, helping MIA win the Airline Network News and Analysis award in 2010 for “U.S. Airport with The Most New International Routes”.
MIA is the second-leading airport in the U.S. for international passengers, behind only JFK, and the leading airport for total passengers in the state of Florida.
In addition, MIA nearly matched its all-time record in cargo volume with 1.99 million tons of freight last year for a growth of 18.8 percent over 2009. After suffering negative growth in 2008 and 2009 because of the economic downturn, MIA recovered all of its losses in 2010 and fell just short of the two-million-ton record it set in 2007 and prior to the recession. Contributing significantly to this surge were double-digit growth rates from all cargo regions served from MIA. This included 20 percent increases from Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil experiencing an estimated growth rate of more than 110 percent. Elsewhere, Asian cargo rose 54 percent following expansion by MIA’s three Asian carriers from nine weekly freighter flights in 2009 to 19 weekly flights in 2010. Finally, Europe, despite depressed economic conditions in some key markets, grew more than 14 percent.
MIA is the number one airport in the U.S. and number nine in the world for international freight.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
