For Miami-Dade County, the MIA next to the Port of Miami is the colossus of the economy, in addition to its contribution in income to the state of Florida.
For its part, the Port of Miami received more than 7 million tourists at its cruise terminals last year. The City of the Sun is currently the cruise capital of the world.
The airport generates $118 billion in revenue and approximately 700,000 direct and indirect jobs for the local economy. MIA is also the air entity with the highest number of flights to and from Latin America and the Caribbean, which confirms it as an important bridge for trade and tourism.
Projection
All of the above generates sufficient reasons to learn about some of the large investments and the immediate and medium-term plans of Miami International Airport.
In an interview with DIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS, the director and CEO of the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, Ralph Cutié, explained the completed and developing projects that benefit millions of visitors and residents.
Cutié referred to the significance of 2024 for the economic and service boom of the important airline entity in South Florida, “first of all, due to passenger volume projections.”
“Right now, we are 10.5% above last year on the same date, where another record was achieved. If this trend continues, it is very likely that this year we will exceed 55 million travelers,” said the general director.
“In cargo, the figure is 5% higher than in 2023. Therefore, we are aiming to establish another record in passenger and cargo traffic to complete three consecutive years of record passenger numbers and five continuous years in air transportation. of merchandise”.
The forecast for 2024 is for 2.9 million tonnes in air trade through MIA, but with the capital action plan underway, “the airport could double its total annual cargo capacity by 5 million tonnes.”
Investments
Regarding investments, the director of the MIA argued: “In the investment plans, we have a capital program divided into two parts: the modernization program that replaces elevators and escalators; renew bathrooms and electrical infrastructure. In addition, we will repair a roof for more than 130 million dollars and the main plan that is 7.4 billion dollars and includes the expansion and modernization of the terminals to accommodate and offer the best service to the enormous volume of passengers that we project to receive.
“By 2040, we foresee a flow of 77 million passengers, but if you analyze this it is already seen as a fairly conservative figure to continue with the trend of substantial increases in passengers.”
Currently, an innovative expansion of the Flamingo garage is being carried out, which began in February 2024 and is expected to be completed in the winter of next year along with 50 charging stations for electric vehicles.
Cutié specified that “the work is on an early date due to its progress” and among the measures that are applied to guarantee quick access for customers in the midst of the remodeling and expansion is “the increase in personnel to drive traffic within the airport and all the essential indications to avoid traffic jams.”
Within the modernization plan, 32 new elevators, escalators and rolling mats, 32 new passenger boarding bridges and the total renovation or construction of 44 bathrooms appear on the list.
An icon
Founded in 1928, whose first flight was to Havana, Miami International Airport is the busiest in the US for international cargo and the second most important in the country for international passengers.
Given the large influx of travelers, the airport management has had to look for alternatives to speed up the massive flow, especially in the last two years.
Regarding this issue and some complaints from visitors about certain delays at Immigration when entering the country, the director of the Miami Dade Aviation Department responded:
“We work directly with all federal agencies and in this case with the Department of Internal Security (Homeland Security) to have a greater number of Immigration agents and perfect our system so that when travelers arrive, we can serve them efficiently and as quickly as possible. ”.
“At this time we are exploiting the benefits offered by the development of modern facial recognition technology, “biometric boarding” through facial scanning with the passport photo and other alternatives, such as “Global Entry” that simplify passengers’ time to travel. his arrival in the country.”
Among MIA’s major projects today is the expansion of the American Airlines maintenance hangar by 114,000 square feet, creating 200 new jobs. Its completion is scheduled for October 2025.
On the other hand, Delta Airlines increased capacity in April of this year by 50% for its VIP lounges, as part of the Delta Sky Club program. Now about 300 customers can enjoy this benefit, making it the second busiest airline partner.
Along with all the plans, new businesses and restaurants such as the Chick-fil-A chain have also been added.
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