To accommodate increased demand, officials in Miami-Dade County are reportedly poised to move forward with plans to develop another airport to serve the metropolitan area. In order to move forward, officials hope county Mayor Daniella Levine Cava will outline how a new airport will handle cargo, commercial flights, and general aviation.
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Commission committee leaders have pointed out Miami International Airport's (MIA) aging infrastructure and suggested that a new airport should be developed with "forward thinking." It comes after the airport has experienced record passenger growth in the last three consecutive years.
"What are we planning for the future"
According to Mami Today, county officials have recommended that Mayor Cava provides a detailed analysis of how to go about creating a new airport in the area within 90 days.
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Kevin Marino Cabrera, who reportedly sponsored the measure that the full commission is expected to hear next week, said Miami Airport's current capacity must be considered when planning another airport.
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"It's honestly just about forward thinking, thinking about exactly what is the capacity of [Miami International Airport], how many years do we have of this capacity and what are we planning for the future."
MIA's current modernization plan
Cabrera also noted mounting infrastructure problems at Miami Airport, such as stairways, moving walkways, and escalators, due to inattention, according to Miami Today. The measure also explains how the differences in Miami's cargo capacity and passenger capacity should be looked at to ensure the county is "ready for the future."
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However, Miami Airport already has a modernization in-action plan known as Future Ready. The $9 billion program will renovate more than 200 restrooms, over 120 jetways, and several hundred elevators, escalators, and moving walkways. It also includes plans to build a new 2,240-space parking garage and a four-star hotel.
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Where a potential new airport could be constructed is unknown, but Cabrera said the measure "tells the mayor's office to explore all locations," according to Miami Today. It is also unclear when the county could even begin developing a new airport. Cabrera said they would need to "figure out how many years" the county has left by examining current capacity numbers.
"...We're 10% already up over last year's numbers, so clearly we're growing year over year significantly, so we want to make sure that we're being forward thinking," Cabrera told Miami Today.
Impressive growth
There is no question that Miami has experienced increased passenger traffic traffic over the years. Simple Flying previously reported that the airport handled more than 52 million passengers in 2023.
Ralph Cutié, the Director and CEO of Miami International Airport, spoke about the airport's growth last month.
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"We find three straight years of record-making passenger growth, We had 50.7 million passengers back in 2022, 52.3 million in 2023, and we're currently trending 9% growth over last year's, which puts us at around 57 million by the end of this year."
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As American Airlines' Caribbean and South American gateway, Miami is also known for its large international passenger ratio. The airport recorded over 23 million international passengers last year.
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