MIAMI.- “The days of disinvestment at Miami International Airport have come to an end,” announced County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava at a press conference this Thursday, January 18 at the county’s main air terminal.
The total investment in the various renovation projects at MIA amounts to 1.6 billion and includes a new hotel and a new parking area that will be ready in 2026.
The mayor of Miami-Dade stated that 130 million are currently being invested in roof repair projects and the installation of solar panels.
Something that surprises and bothers many travelers and MIA users is the deterioration of the elevators and escalators in the terminal, some of which are out of service. According to the mayor, 681 million dollars are being invested in the modernization of elevators, stairs and escalators.
The mayor also said necessary repairs will be made in March so the Skytrain will be ready to run again in the spring.
Last September, Skytrain, the automatic train that moves passengers through American Airlines Terminal D, stopped working due to problems with one of the pillars of the concrete structure through which it circulates.
“The real challenge is to carry out all this work while we operate one of the busiest airports in the world,” Ralph Cuité, director of MIA, told DIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS.
“The investment also foresees the repair of the 447 bathrooms in the terminal. In the first phase of the program, we have renovated 33; currently there are 50 in process and another 141 are being designed to begin modernizing them next month,” said the executive.
To ensure these jobs can be carried out, MIA has hired more employees who work different shifts throughout the day, including nights and weekends. “We’ve also created work shifts that didn’t exist before.”
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Cuité refused to assess the causes of the deterioration, only saying that previous administrations had other priorities or simply lacked the budget to undertake these tasks.
“Last June, the County Commission approved a historic contract to repair and modernize.
Despite the existing drawbacks at MIA, Cuité believes that county residents should feel proud of the levels achieved by the terminal. “MIA registers very high ranks both nationally and internationally.”
“We are the number two airport in the US in international passenger volume, and the eighth in total passengers.”
“In the world, we rank 14th in volume of domestic passengers and 23rd in international passengers. We operate about 1,100 flights a day and during last Christmas we operated between 1,200 and 1,300 flights in one day.”
It is important for the public to know that “we are working hard with Mayor Levine Cava’s administration to implement all necessary improvements and maintenance.”
For two consecutive years, MIA has broken its passenger volume record. In 2022 there were 50.7 million and in 2023 it registered 52.3 passengers. “It is a trend that continues in the first days of 2024, in which we are registering 11% more trips than last year. We are on track to set a new record for the third consecutive year.”
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